Musical 'Gone with the Wind' lifts curtain in Beijing

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The highly anticipated world premiere in Beijing of the English-language musical “Gone with the Wind” on Friday was met with mixed audience reviews.

Tickets have been in great demand and the first day was sold out early. No need to say, audience buy it for its fame.

Since its first appearance in 1936, “Gone with the Wind” has swept book, film and musical theater genres.

The novel, written by American Margaret Mitchell, won the Pulitzer Prize the second year after its publication. For years, it was recognized as the second favorite book by American readers after The Bible and has sold 30 million copies worldwide.

The adapted movie, premiered in 1939, won nine Oscar awards. And it is still considered the highest-grossing film in history when considering inflation.

With the hope of presenting it as a gift to his wife and daughter, French popular composer Gerard Presgurvic composed music and lyrics for the French musical. Its debut in Paris in 2003 was met with great success and performances were held daily for months and tours abroad followed.

Performers with the English musical "Gone with the Wind" perform on stage, October 30, 2018. /VCG Photo

This time, Gerard Presgurvic was again invited to create the English musical. “The music emphasizes the connection between a 19th-century story and our modern time, so it mixes with classical melody and modern rhythm,” Presgurvic said when he introduced the show a month earlier.

A cast of A-listing stars joined the show, including Gian Marco Schiaretti, hero of Broadway musical “Evita,” and Rachel Gold, the heroine of Broadway musical “The Phantom of the Opera.”

The show recreates many classic scenes from Tara under twilight to war-tortured Atlanta, and many sets of costumes, from extravagant lady's dresses to ragged clothes, reproducing as close as possible a real southern U.S. of the time. Some media hailed it as the finest musical feast of the year.

However, the first-day performance was delayed for half an hour due to equipment problems, and the sound effects were unsatisfactory during the show, with some in the audience complaining online afterward.

Many social media critics, however, praised the performers. A Weibo user, named Cuilimo, said, “The performers were in high spirits and their energetic singing sound made my eyes fill with tears.”

Performers with the English musical "Gone with the Wind" at a news conference, October 30, 2018. /Photo via Chinanews.com

Another internet user, named Sanchuanling, commented, “The music and costumes were good, the choreography was fabulous, and the lighting was wonderful. The acoustics and the pace of the story can be improved.”

A critic, named Yinan in the interview, thinks the musical was average and the shape of personal characteristics was too simple, “I am afraid that the audience cannot understand the characters if they did not read the novel.”

So far, the musical has received 6.6 points out of 10 on Douban.com, China's major film and TV critic website.

The show will last to December 9 in Beijing before it staged in Xi'an and Shanghai.

(Top image: Poster of the 1939 film "Gone with the Wind." /VCG Photo)