Curtain up on theater's 3rd season
Shanghai Poly Grand Theater launched its third anniversary season last month with a concert by the UK’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It will feature a wide range of performances, including concerts, drama, dance and children’s theater.
Since it opened in 2014, around 600,000 people have enjoyed various performances.
To arts lovers in Jiading, the Poly Grand Theater realized their hope of enjoying top quality performances near home.
“I will watch the children’s theater with my kid and watch the drama with my friends. If there is a magic show, my whole family will come to enjoy,” said Shen Haiyan, a diamond card holder.
Around, 40,000 people, most of them Jiading residents, have applied for a diamond card so they can enjoy frequent performances.
“We are grateful to those who choose us, and we hope we can provide exactly what they want, just like cutting a dress according to their figures,” said Qin Tiji, theater president.
Shanghai Poly Theatrer
Address: 159 Baiyin Rd
Children theater: ‘Puff! Flower!’
A magic show designed for children from 3 years old tells the story of a magician’s wife angry with their two children because they make trouble all the time. The magician wants to figure out the way to make the family happy and peaceful again. This magic show is performed with the Theater in Education concept, a format that combines education and appreciation. During the show, the actors will interact with the audience and educate them. Wang Zhanqiong and Yan Huiru, directors of the show, are graduates of the Shanghai Theater Academy and have abundant experience of this type of performance.
Date: November 25, 10:30am, 3pm; November 26, 10:30am, 3pm; December 16, 3pm; December 17, 10:30am
Tickets: 50-180 yuan
Drama: ‘Five acts of life’
This drama is based on five short stories written by Lao She, the late well-known Beijing writer. This is the first time Lao She’s short stories have been dramatized. Although Lao She is regarded as a master of humor, the “Five acts of life” is composed of five tragedies, presenting another face of the writer to the audience. Some of the stories are performed in Peking Opera because most stories feature the life in his hometown Beijing. The casts learnt the skill of Peking Opera from professional performers from the Beijing Opera Troupe. In order to present the original life and accent of Beijing, the cast are all Beijing locals, including the director, editor and leading actors.
Date: November 10, 7:30pm; November 11, 7:30pm
Tickets: 80-380 yuan
Huaiju Opera: ‘Mr Wu Xun’
Huaiju Opera was formed around the Yanhuai area in east China’s Jiangsu Province and became popular in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. The show is performed in Jianghuai dialect, commonly spoken in Jiangsu. The opera is based on the true story of the life of Wu Xun (1838-1896) who was a beggar but also a charity worker and educator. Wu has worked at his uncle’s home for three years and he wants to quit the job to marry Lihua. However, Zhanglaosou changed the detail of the contract between Wu and his uncle, which means that Wu can neither get his three-year paycheck nor marry with his lover, Lihua. Wu concluded that only knowledge could change his fate. Since then, he makes up his mind to build a school for the poor.
Date: November 19, 2pm
Tickets: 30-50 yuan