'Rock of Faust' staging final performance in city
The musical "Rock of Faust" is staging the last of its 10 performances at Shanghai Grand Theater on Monday before continuing its national tour in 13 other cities.
Debuted on May 24, the Chinese version of the South Korean musical is inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust." In the story, stockbroker Faust experiences the financial storm. He signs a contract with the X-darkness and gradually loses his heart, but finally chooses the story of light. With the help of X-light and the erosion of X-darkness, a good and evil contest about degradation and hope is launched.
The Chinese version of the musical "Rock of Faust" premiered at Shanghai Grand Theater last week.
The musical has gained great popularity since its debut in South Korea in 2014. Shanghai Blue Culture introduced the Chinese version and upgraded the stage design to adapt to larger theaters.
Director Wang Tingting said the rock music elements appealed to her, and she considers the theme of the production inspiring to people in modern cities.
"You want to get close to X-light, but some society rules might push you to the side of X-darkness and question you about morality and desire," she said. "How will a new player in financial industry games choose his life path? This kind of discussion into humanity is not often seen in domestic musicals."
Singer Liu Lingfei plays the role of X-darkness.
Wang said the Chinese version focused on the character's inner struggle.
The musical gathered a group of popular actors like Liu Lingfei, Jia Fan and Ye Qisheng, who dance to rock and electronic music and create a concert-like atmosphere. Multimedia and other visual designs deliver a striking stage presentation.
"Rock of Faust" will next visit the cities of Wuxi, Beijing, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Changsha, Nanjing, Foshan, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Xi'an.
