In Theater: 'Lady M' opens new mode of cultural exchange for Chinese musicals

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"I firmly believe that we used to imitate, copy and make Chinese versions of foreign musicals. This era has ended. We are now fully capable of making original musicals," said the director of the musical production "Lady M."

The musical, based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, made its world debut in Shanghai in May. It is the first foreign musical produced by China.

Developed by the Shanghai Culture Square and Xujun Drama & Musical, "Lady M" features a cast from around the world. James Beeny and Gina Georgio from the UK wrote the script and songs, but the Chinese team did the rest of the production.

Despite being a Chinese production, the sung-through musical is performed in English. Xu Jun, the director of "Lady M," explained the reason behind it to CGTN.

"I was worried it would affect the songs if I translated the lyrics into Chinese," he said.

Xu was impressed by the Chinese cast's performance, which he said reflected the improvement of Chinese education.

"In recent years, the English level of actors from major colleges and universities has been very high," he said. "They were able to master the English lyrics quickly."

"I felt the world opened up to me once I decided to make the musical in English, and I could search for the cast from across the world," Xu said. "That's when I thought of Maya."

China's "Lady Macbeth"

Maya Hakvoort, a Dutch actress and singer known for her performance in the musical "Elisabeth," is one of three actresses who play Lady Macbeth.

Although "Lady M" is the first time Hakvoort is participating in a China-produced musical, she is not a stranger to China. The actress told CGTN that she has performed in the country before. 

"I noticed that I had a lot of fans here," she said. "When the (production) company asked me to play a new musical, completely new, I said yes immediately." 

The actress shared how Lady Macbeth in the musical differentiates from other productions such as movies and plays.

"They put a little bit more into Lady Macbeth because we are going back to the early days when she had a child, also when she met Macbeth," she said. "You see a side of Lady Macbeth that is very soft and very feminine and also to make it understandable why she got so upset because tragedy happened to her and her child."

Embracing the world through musicals

Hakvoort views the musical as a creative and necessary form of cultural exchange.

"We don't know so much about other cultures, and sometimes we think we have opinions, but based on what?" she said. "The more you understand the more your vision is getting bigger."

"I don't like people who are so narrow-minded, who only think like the truth is only in their own country, but because it's not," Hakvoort said. "The truth is everywhere."

Meanwhile, Xu believes the most significant gain from "Lady M" is "seeing the outside and letting the outside see us."

"After communicating with foreign artists, they can realize the power of our original musicals," said the director, adding that this kind of co-produced production connects the East and West.

"Only in this way, I think our soil will be healthier and more fertile," said Xu. "Working behind closed doors is not conducive to Chinese original musicals."

The director said he has always proposed making musicals with Chinese national characteristics as a way to better embrace the world.

"I believe this kind of art exchange without borders is beneficial to both foreign countries and China," he said.

Videographer: Qian Jiajun

Video editor: Guo Meiping

Cover image: Yu Peng