Shanghai's Musical Scene Finds a New Home in the Sky
▲Scenes from Chef Show, a production at 12F Musical Town, a new musical hub on Shanghai's Nanjing Road. CHINA DAILY
A new musical hub has opened on the 12th floor of a landmark building on Shanghai's Nanjing Road, one of China's iconic shopping streets.
New World City celebrated the opening of 12F Musical Town on Jan 16. Covering an area of about 7,000 square meters, it consists of eight small theaters, claiming to be China's first musical exploration park.
"We have broken the boundaries of traditional tourism products here and launched the only 'one-stop musical theater experience' that integrates theatergoing with dining, shopping, and art education," says Lu Chen, general manager of 12F Musical Town.
Li Wei, deputy general manager of Shanghai New World City Co, says that the opening of 12F Musical Town signifies that the Nanjing Road business district is transforming from mostly retail into a more culturally enriched destination. Since its opening in 1995, New World City has been a landmark amid the hustle and bustle of Nanjing Road in the center of Shanghai. Today, it is a commercial complex consisting of shopping malls, restaurants, a hotel, as well as Madame Tussauds Shanghai.
At 12F Musical Town, you can see shows, enjoy food, meet actors, and learn about musical theater. "It's a complete functional loop that provides segmented cultural choices for diverse audiences of different age groups," Lu says. "This will be a cozy home for musical lovers, whether you are a hard-core musical fan, or new to the theater."
Collaborating with universities, the musical town will provide teachers and students with an open platform for professional practice and academic exchange."We hope to play a part in strengthening Shanghai's foundation as a national hub for the musical theater industry," Lu says.
Over the past decades, musicals have gained great popularity around China, and Shanghai boasts the largest market, where Broadway productions and musicals from Germany, France and Russia are frequently performed, as well as original Chinese shows.
▲Scenes from Chef Show, a production at 12F Musical Town, a new musical hub on Shanghai's Nanjing Road. CHINA DAILY
In Shanghai, more than 60 small-scale theaters have mushroomed in the downtown area, and built a solid fan base. In these small theaters of fewer than 500 seats, audiences often sit so close to the stage that "actors' sweat almost flies onto the audience, which is an irreplaceable experience for a lot of people", according to Shanghai-based theater critic Zhu Guang.
One of the first productions to land in 12F Musical Town is the Chinese version of Chef Show, a musical that has enjoyed continuous success in South Korea for more than 15 years. The fun-packed show combines dance, beatboxing, a cappella, martial arts, and slapstick comedy. As a resident project, Chef Show will be performed up to 200 times a year.
At the same time, two Chinese musical productions will be performed here. The Fiction, a murder mystery, and Narcissus and Goldmund, adapted from the novel by German author Hermann Hesse, are both produced by MSK Musical, a Shanghai-based production company.
Zhang Zhilin, founder and CEO of MSK Musical, says that small theaters are of vital importance to the development of China's musical industry because they provide opportunities for emerging theatrical artists to stage their creations at a feasible cost.
He says that 12F Musical Town is an open platform for creators from all over the country. "We have a recording studio, rehearsal rooms and a lecture hall where industry leaders will share their experiences," he adds.
zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn