Original musicals, new talent: It's all starting this month!

The 3rd Shanghai International Musical Festival, which begins this month, will provide a stage for original Chinese musicals and a window for young talent to showcase their artistry through a singing competition and a project nurturing new original musicals.

The festival, jointly organized by Huangpu District, Shanghai Grand Theater Arts Center and SAIC Shanghai Culture Square, will run through April.

“Despite the impact of the pandemic, we have made every effort to allow the festival to carry on,” said Fei Yuanhong, vice general manager of the Culture Square.

This month and next, the venue will stage the musicals “The Vagabond Song” and “Spring Awakening” as a prelude for the main events next spring.

The major session of the festival will be held in March and April, during which four original Chinese musicals will be staged. They are “Hangover,” “Wu Kong,” “Nine-Colored Deer” and “None Is Dispensable.”

“Hangover,” to be performed March 24-27, is produced by Mahua Fun Age, a domestic theater best known for its comedy shows. This time the company is presenting its first suspense musical, with a story centered on a kidnapping case, presented with a bit of tongue in cheek.

“Wu Kong,” set for March 30-31, refers to the mythical Chinese hero Monkey King. The musical retells the story of how the Monkey King barges into the heavenly palace, highlighting his rebellious personality. The production also addresses the relationship between individuals and the world in which they live. The use of rock music and contemporary dance elements gives the production a modern touch.

Both “Nine-Colored Deer” (April 3-4) and “None Is Dispensable” (April 17-18) are more suitable for children and family audiences.

“Nine-Colored Deer” is based on a Chinese myth about a deer king, while “None Is Dispensable” dwells on the growth of children, family relationships and education.

Due to the pandemic, the organizers had to cancel the singing contest in last year’s festival, but it will return in 2021. The competition, mainly for non-professional and young singers, will officially begin later this month. After several rounds, surviving contenders will advance to the April finals.

A big part of the festival is its nurturing project for young people involved in the development of stage musicals. Participants can submit their original musical scores or scripts through February. Selected works will be revised with the help of musical professionals in the following few months. The best works will then be sent to workshops for a final polish before being presented to potential investors.

Three original musicals — “Draw Lots,” “Sorry I Forgot” and “Southern Tang Emperor” — that emerged from the nurturing project of the inaugural festival have already found commercial sponsorship and will be staged next year.

“We helped these creations to find investors and producers, but we didn’t set a timeline for when the works might be staged,” said Fei. “However, it seems everything is going apace, and it only took about two years for these new works to be stage-ready.”

He continued: “We are happy to see the growth of original musicals, but creators still need to think hard about short-term versus long-term goals. By that I mean, investors often expect quick results and profits, while the polishing of a new musical takes time. Creators must have the fortitude to insist on artistic excellence.”

Ti Gong

Fei’s opinion was echoed by composer Jin Peida, one of the four panel members involved in the latest nurturing project.

“Original Chinese musicals have been gaining much more attention in the past two years,” said Jin. “However, there is a long way to go, and we should not rush it because the growth of an industry takes time.”

He continued: “We have seen the emergence of new musical productions, but how many of them will endure in the market for a few years? When looking at countries where stage musicals have enjoyed a long history, we note that production of a high-quality musical might last for eight to even 10 years. We all have artistic pursuits, but only when creators turn those pursuits into quality works can the industry ripen.”