Poly Grand Theater launches Spring Performance Season
Classic stage productions and low-price welfare performances are on offer during the Shanghai Poly Grand Theater's newly launched Spring Performance Season.
Covering varied genres of drama, musicals, dance and opera, the new season will start with Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn's original Chinese musical "No Longer Human," which is scheduled on March 9 and 10.
Musical actors Liu Lingfei (center) and Fang Shujian (right) attend the Shanghai Poly Grand Theater's Spring Performance Season launch ceremony. Liu stars in the season opener musical 'No Longer Human.'
Based on a 1948 Japanese autobiographical novel by Osamu Dazai, the musical debuted in Shanghai in 2021, receiving high praises from audiences. The latest two shows will continue to star popular singers Bai Jugang and Liu Lingfei, as well as a live band during the performances.
Other recommended musicals this spring include "Flowers For Algernon," which is adapted from Daniel Keyes' novel of the same name, and the original musical "Smash the Wall."
The Tchaikovsky ballet from Moscow is bringing their classic "The Nutcracker" to Poly on March 29. The performance will serve as part of the 39th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival.
'Space-Time Spirit Hub' will be performed on April 4.
Also featured in the festival is a concert "Space-Time Spirit Hub" on April 4, which is presented by A-Play, a band that plays contemporary music with traditional Chinese instruments.
The Vienna Classic Music Soloists, a group of seven soloist from Vienna, will present a "Rhapsody in Blue" concert on April 14 to mark the 100th anniversary of the publication of "Rhapsody in Blue" by American composer George Gershwin.
Violinist Lu Siqing's recital is scheduled for May with the date to be announced.
The 'Rhapsody in Blue' concert is scheduled for April 14.
Famed Chinese playwright Cao Yu's "Thunderstorm" will be performed by the Tianjin People's Art Theater on May 30. Cao has also adapted writer Ba Jin's novel "The Family" into a stage play, which will be presented by the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group on March 15.
There are also performances for young and family audiences, including the original West End production "Dinosaur World Live," and stage play "Guess How Much I Love You."
Adapted from a popular picture book, "Guess How Much I Love You" is also one of four welfare performances the Poly Grand Theater has introduced to mark the Jiading District Welfare Culture Week.
'Guess How Much I Love You' is a welfare performance.
Prices for the welfare shows are set at 30 to 80 yuan (US$4.17 - US$11.12) to benefit the public. The other three shows are the suspense drama "Kill Me" and two classic Yueju operas, "A Dream of Red Mansions" and "The Peacock Flies Southeast."
The Shanghai Poly Grand Theater is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, Russia's Vakhtangov Theater will perform "Eugene Onegin" for the Shanghai audience from June 20 to 23.
The play was written and directed by Lithuanian theater director Rimas Tuminas who selected chapters from the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin.
Ticket sales for "Eugene Onegin" started on Friday. Tuminas' recent and regretful death makes this round of performances even more memorable.
Audiences can follow Poly Grand Theater's official Wechat account "SHPGT2014" for more information about the performances and the theater's tailored waterscape light shows.
If you go:
Venue: Shanghai Poly Grand Theater 上海保利大剧院
Address: 159 Baiyin Road, Jiading District 嘉定区白银路159号
