The show was not the only successful foreign musical shown in China in 2002. Last June, thousands of people, many of them stage professionals, swarmed into Shanghai to see the acclaimed production of Les Miserables (Les Mis), the must-seen show for China's theatre lovers last year.

It is the genre of the musical, enormously popular in the West over the past few decades, which has also captivated Chinese theatre-goers in recent times.

However, only a few original Chinese musicals have been produced which appeal to local audiences, although some pioneers at home have been engaged in this area of the arts for nearly 20 years.

Their determination to make center stage is undiminished.

With a star-studded cast and a team of leading lights in world of performing arts, the new production Sunrise will be staged at Beijing's Poly Theatre today and tomorrow.

But can it be a Chinese musical hit? Both the audiences and the critics are waiting to see.

Great Storyline

Cameron Mackintosh, the legendary producer of Les Miserables, Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon, said, during a visit to Shanghai in June, that the most common thread running through his hit productions is that they are all great stories, the secret behind their success.

"That is what grabs the emotions of the audience," said Mackintosh. "That's what takes them on a journey."

Sunrise is just such a great story and the reason why it has captured the attention of those who have sought to bring it to the stage.

Adapted from the play of the same name by playwright Cao Yu (1910-96), it is a story of the corruption and luxury of the rich and the sufferings of the poor in old China.

The plot revolves around Chen Bailu, a high-class courtesan in Shanghai in the 1930s. Chen enjoys a life of pleasure-seeking in the city, but in the end commits suicide faced with her benefactor's bankruptcy, the death of a teenage girl called Xiaodongxi, whom Chen has tried to save from enforced prostitution, and the departure of Chen's childhood sweetheart Fang.

A full-length play with the same title premiered by the Beijing People's Art Theatre in 1956 and then staged by the Shanghai Art Theatre. And it was adapted into a film in 1985 and last year a TV series.

Then in November 1990, the former Central Opera Theatre -- today's National Opera Theatre -- produced a musical based on the story, directed by Zou Dehua, one of the first Chinese sopranos to perform classical Western opera and composed by Jin Xiang.

The production won acclaim from the critics then and was considered a daring attempt to adapt a dramatic masterpiece of modern Chinese literature into theatrical form.

Nearly four years ago, the story caught the attention of film director Wu Yigong. He turned to Shanghai-based composers Jin Fuzai and Dong Weijie to write the score and Sunrise, the musical, was born.

The 64-year-old director is best known for his movie chengnan jiushi (My Memories of Old Beijing), which won him "best director" in the Golden Rooster Film Awards (1983) and bashan yeyu (Night Rain), which won "best picture" in the Golden Rooster Film Awards (1981).

Wu said he believes films and musicals have much in common; both are comprehensive genres involving performing, music, design and lighting.

Wu, though not an expert in the field of musicals, has seen recordings of a number of the best-selling ones and revised the story several times to adjust to the accepted conventions of the genre.

Wu rewrote the original four-scene play into eight scenes and dramatized others so as to allow the characters to develop and evolve in what is the most extraordinary manner. In this way, he said, it would provide a great number of appropriate settings for the musical numbers.

To highlight the tragic fate of Chen and Xiaodongxi and Chen and Fang's star-crossed love, Wu has removed some roles, while at the same time developing the plot more around Fang, Xiaodongxi and another character, called Wang Fusheng.

Originally a minor role in the play, Wang, a waiter of Chen's benefactor, achieves greater importance in the musical version and serves as narrator of the tale.

Sunrise deals with serious subject matter, but the director adds some comic elements to the slick character of Wang, played by the popular comedian Chen Peisi, which serves to temper the atmosphere and make the musical entertaining.

Music and Dance

Music, lyrics and dance numbers are all elemental in creating a musical masterpiece.

The music of Sunrise is melodic and easy to remember. And composers Jin and Dong blend a variety of musical elements -- jazz, ballad, pop, Chinese folk music and operatic arias -- into the composition.

"Being pleasant to hear is the goal we try to achieve in composing the music," said Jin. "We were free in various tunes and hope the music appeals to both the Chinese and foreign audiences."

Jin, 60, director of the newly-established Musical Department of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, has been engaged in creating the soundtracks for film and television over three decades.

His credits include music for the movies hong he gu (Red River Valley) and yapian zhanzheng (Opium War).

It is not the first time that the two Shanghai-based composers have worked together. In 2000, Jin and Dong co-composed the soundtrack for popular cartoon film Magic Lotus Lanterns and the theme song for the film Love Is One Word which has enjoyed great popularity throughout the country.

For Sunrise, they composed about 40 songs, some of which won acclaim after being performed in Shanghai last May. To test the market and promote the full-length musical, a special concert was held to introduce some of the songs.

Li Yuru, Cao Yu's widow, who previewed the work, praised the music and the singers' performances.

"The plot fits the conventions of a musical and the songs are a feast to the ears," said Ye Xiaogang, a well-known composer in China.

Wu, who wrote the lyrics himself, has kept most of Cao's original words, but revised some which were too difficult to put to music.

The musical also features colorful dance numbers choreographed by Gao Du, a teacher at the Beijing Academy of Dance. He designed about 10 dance scenes to add to the entertainment and to help develop the plot.

"In a musical, dance should not be an independent but integral part of the story. So I choreographed all the dance numbers to accord with the development of the story," said Gao.

His choreography for the main roles fitted well with their characters, while the choreography of the group dance routines seeks to reflect the atmosphere of the scene it accompanies.

For example in the scene where Chen's benefactor goes bankrupt as the prices of his stocks fall and he is forced to sell her, the dancers, all from the Musical Department of Beijing Academy of Dance, try to interpret on stage the cruel competition, chaos and bustle that characterizes the market and the confusion which grips the minds of those concerned.

Experimental Cast

The cast of the musical might look strange: Fang is performed by Liao Changyong, a leading Chinese baritone who specializes in classical Western opera. Chen is played by Pan Li, a student from the Musical Department of Beijing Academy of Dance, and Chen Peisi who plays Wang is one of the most popular comedians in China.

Chen Peisi uses his gift of comedy fully in his portrayal of the slick waiter, while Pan is a little soft in singing, but aptly captures Chen's coquettish appearance and kind heart.

Liao, 34, is arguably the best baritone in China today and one of the few established baritones in the world.

The winner of the Placido Domingo International Opera Competition (1997), Liao gives more than 30 performances a year, two-thirds of which are outside China. Given his fame on the world's operatic stage, it was something of a coup when he accepted the role of Fang.

But Liao himself loves the story and agreed to take the part without hesitation.

"Many opera singers perform musicals. A good opera singer should not only have a charming voice, but know how to portray a character. In this case, performing a musical or an opera is the same thing," said Liao.

He added that as a baritone, he often plays the part of a father, an old man or other supporting roles in operas. Sunrise presents him with a rare chance to play a young man in love with the leading lady.

"What's more, I myself came to Shanghai from the countryside, which gave me a similar experience to Fang. Sometimes, I could innately figure out what Fang would think," Liao revealed.

(China Daily January 3, 2003)