Zhou Xuan: A star is born

Chen Weiya choked back tears as he watched the rehearsal of the modern dance drama "Zhou Xuan" earlier this week, which will debut for audiences at Shanghai Grand Theatre next year.

Chen, one of the directors of the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, was invited to direct the story, which details the rise of Shanghai movie star Zhou Xuan in the 1940s during a transitional period in Chinese history.

In the 1930s and 40s, young Chinese students were infuriated by Japanese invaders; they paraded the streets and called on compatriots to protect their homeland while the nation's soldiers fought the intruders in suburban Shanghai.

As a teenager, Zhou absorbed the chaos and, with her charming appearance and sweet voice, made great achievements on stage in spite of the turbulent goings on.

"It's about the making of a star in this special period," said Zhou Jie, a celebrated Chinese dancer who worked under Chen to help direct the play. "Foreign audiences can easily understand the story - an inspiring tale of an ugly duckling turning into a swan.

"The heavy background of the history contrasts sharply with the fate of the individual, who was like a baby rose blooming in the dark," added Chen. "We tell her story from a modern perspective, in a way that will surpass expectations, yet will still be realistic."

With an investment of over 9 million yuan, this is the Shanghai Opera House's largest original dance project in 20 years. It will take 100 performances to break even, but Chen said any less than 500 would be considered a failure.

The play should have broad appeal as it cannot be defined by any one single dance genre. Song Jie, who plays Zhou Xuan, will perform everything from classical ballet to Chinese folk dancing. Meanwhile, social scenes depicting old Shanghai will make use of Latin, ballroom, hip-hop and street dancing.

"This is a story from the 1940s, but it is being staged for modern audiences," said Chen.

The play's Shanghai premiere will take place in February. It will then move on to Beijing in May before heading to Tennessee in the United States. Directors are keeping their fingers crossed that the play will land a spot on Broadway next year.

Feb 2-4, 7:15 pm

Shanghai Grand Theatre

300 Renmin Avenue

人民大道300号，上海大剧院

Tel: 6386-8686

Tickets: 100-680 yuan

(China Daily 12/05/2009 page14)