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Great White Way in China
Shanghai Star. 2002-06-27
Musical hit Les Miserables receives warm welcome in Shanghai
THE Great White Way has met the Great
Wall this week when Les Miserables, the
second longest running production on
Broadway, becomes the first to play in the
world's most populous nation.
Les Miserables, based on Victor Hugo's
classic novel that sweeps through three
turbulent decades of 19th century French
history, made its China debut in Shanghai
on June 22 and played for 16 days at the
Shanghai Grand Theatre.
The production, which is performed in English with Chinese subtitles at the top
of the stage, comes after five years of negotiations to overcome logistical
problems and prohibitive costs.
The idea of bringing Broadway's white lights to China came in 1994, when
producer Cameron Mackintosh visited Shanghai during Les Miserables' Asia
tour to Hong Kong and Singapore, said Zhang Xiaoding, public relations
manager at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. But Shanghai did not then have a
large enough theatre.
The idea did not die, however, in part because Victor Hugo's story about an
outcast who fought for social causes is one of the most popular Western novels
in China. Qian Shijing, vice president of Shanghai Grand Theatre, started
contacting Mackintosh about Les Miserables in 1997, and set the wheels in
motion for bringing the production to China.
The more formal invitation arrived later when the Chinese Government
contacted the Britain's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, "after
discussions between world leaders," said Alan Wasser, whose New York
company manages the show.
The tour became feasible in 1998, when the Shanghai Grand Theatre was
completed. It seats 1,800 and is as large as Les Miserables' Broadway home,
the Imperial Theatre.
Shipping by air
The next obstacle was shipping stage sets via a commercial jet at a cost of
about $240,000. Such a cost was "unheard of", Ying Houjie, deputy general
manager of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, said. Ying said they suggested the
sets be shipped by sea, but Mackintosh refused.
Finally, about 200,000 pounds (5,663 kg) of sets, weighing as much as a blue
whale, arrived in Shanghai last week on a Boeing 747 jet.
The leaner production of the American touring company compared to its
Broadway brethren helped cut costs as well for transportation and housing for
the cast and crew to $1.7 million.
The price for about 21 performances is still high by Chinese standards but
advance bookings for the show have been good. Four days before Les
Miserables' Shanghai debut, about 23,000 tickets, or 74 percent of the total,
had been sold, Zhang said.
The popularity was due largely to the familiarity with the story, and extensive
media publicity. The Shanghai Grand Theatre even sent four Chinese
journalists to New York and San Francisco to interview the show's actors and
producers, which is unusual in China.
Tickets for the Shanghai shows run from $10 to $100, compared with $20 to
$90 in New York, and $10 to $60 in London. The price, however, is in line with
other Western performances held at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, such as the
three tenors (Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras), but $10
is still more than a day's salary for an average worker in Shanghai.
The lead roles are filled from the London cast, with original star Colm Wilkinson
staring as Valjean and Michael McCarthy as Javert, and several others will
come from Broadway.
"If it is a form of art that can be appreciated by Chinese, vast amounts of
Broadway productions could be presented in China," said David Caddick, the
show's executive producer.
Les Miserables will play in Seoul from July 12 to August 4 after Shanghai.
Worldwide, Les Miserables has been seen by more than 49 million people, with
box office gross topping $1.8 billion. There have been 54 productions in 35
countries and 21 languages, according to the show's website, wwww.lesmiz.com.
Broadway often is called "the Great White Way" because of the magnificent
illumination of the theaters, used to announce its shows and stars in white
lights.
The production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats was the longest running show in
Broadway history.
(Agencies via Xinhua)
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