Stars of French musical 'Don Juan' discuss ties with China

On January 25, the French musical "Don Juan" made its debut in China's Shanghai, the first stop of its tour in the country.

French musicals have been gaining momentum in China in recent years. Popular productions such as "Notre-Dame de Paris," "Mozart, L'Opera Rock" and "Roméo et Juliette" have visited China many times and accumulated great fanbases.

The hit song "Belle" from "Notre-Dame de Paris" was performed in both French and Chinese by artists from China, France and Italy on stage at the 2024 Spring Festival Gala in February to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France.

Italian singer Gian Marco Schiaretti, who portrays the character of Don Juan, was among the artists. He described the experience of participating in the biggest gala of China as "breathtaking."

"It's impossible to experience something like that anywhere else in the world," said Schiaretti, adding that it was stressful during the preparation of "Belle" because there were many expectations behind the project.

"And the way we mixed up the French culture and the French language with the Chinese language and culture was actually pretty cool," said the singer.

Nicolas Talar, producer of "Don Juan," said that they have built partnerships with promoters, producers and theaters in China.

"They want to bring even more French shows," said Talar, who was also a producer of "Belle" for the 2024 Spring Festival Gala. "It's really good to have these partners who are really in love with French musicals."

Laurent Ban, the actor behind Don Juan's best friend Don Carlos, is nicknamed the "music ambassador of France and China" for his frequent visits to the country.

The French singer first visited China in 2007 with the musical "Le Petit Prince." He said that the most incredible thing he has observed in China over the years is the dynamism in the musical industry.

Ban appreciates how Chinese artists have been evolving. He said besides the use of traditional Chinese culture, the artists are also finding new paths.

In 2020, Ban posted a video of him singing a special version of "L'Assasymphonie," a song from "Mozart, L'Opera Rock," on the Chinese video-sharing website Bilibili, eliciting enthusiastic responses from fans. The accompaniment of this version was played using traditional Chinese instruments.

"Year after year, I can see many different musicals in China with incredible artists. They are better and better," said Ban, expressing his willingness to collaborate further with Chinese artists.

"Don Juan" is currently touring in China, marking the start of a yearlong itinerary of French musicals touring the country. More French productions are expected to meet Chinese audiences this year, including "Notre-Dame de Paris" and "Mozart, L'Opera Rock."

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