Beijing

Oklahoma! coming

Director David Peck is bringing the Broadway musical Oklahoma! to Beijing for the first time. The renowned musical tells the love story between farm girl Laurey Williams and cowboy Curly McLain in the early 1900s, before the state of Oklahoma was formed. More than 30 dancers and singers from home and abroad will perform onstage in English, with Chinese subtitles. It's been a hit in the United States since its debut in the 1940s, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1944. The musical has played in more than 250 cities.

7:30 pm, Thu, Fri and Sat; 2 pm, Sun matinees. May 18-June 3. Mako Live House, Hongdian Art Factory, 36 Guangqu Lu, Chaoyang district. 010-6538-4716. www.beijingplayhouse.com

Rock with photos

Diehard rock 'n' roll fans in Beijing can feast their eyes on an upcoming photography exhibition of outstanding British rockers in the last 50 years. The photos are from website www.rockarchive.com.

Photographer Jill Furmanovsky established the website in 1998, with the aim to promote photographers' works on rockers to more fans.

10 am-6 pm, May 26-June 3. Liangdian Design Center, 94 Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng district. 010-8958-8995. info@iddc.com.cn

Star-studded festival

2012 China Music Valley International Music Festival will kick off in Beijing.

It's a star-studded gala, with dozens of singers and bands from home and abroad, including rock singer Wang Feng, Taiwan singer-song writer Mavis Fan and British singer-song writer Joss Stone. There are also rock 'n' roll bands from the United Kingdom, such as the Jesus and Mary Chain and White Lies. Last year, Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne as well as American actress and singer Juliet Lewis added glitters with their presence.

6 pm, May 18 and 11 am, May 19-20. Dawangwu village, Pinggu district, Beijing Yuyang International Ski Resort. 400-620-6006. Email cmvfestival@163.com to make a reservation

Shanghai

Music meets literature

Sofitel Shanghai Hyland celebrates French music and literature with Festival Croisements. Renowned performer Marie-Christine Barrault joins pianist Frederic Chiu in a magical fusion of literature and classical music.

The surreal performance will combine pieces by Chopin, Ravel and Gao Ping with literature pieces from Georges Sand and Proust.

7 pm, May 15. 5/F, Sofitel Shanghai Hyland, 505 Nanjing Donglu. 021-6351-5888

Bronze copies of classics

Shanghai Italian Center, which is the former Italy Pavilion of Shanghai Expo 2010, has re-opened with an exhibition of bronze copies of Michelangelo Buonarroti's masterpieces - Day, Night, Dawn and Dusk. The works made by the nearly 500-year-old moulds are the first Michelangelo's works in China.

9 am-5 pm, until Dec 31. 2/F, F Section, Shanghai Italian Center, 2095 Expo Avenue. 021-5178-2298

Tragic fairy tale

Propeller, an all-male Shakespeare company in the UK, will present in Shanghai the Winter's Tale, a tragic fairy story. The drama tells the story of a man consumed by an inexplicable jealousy that destroys his family, his kingdom and himself. Wracked by guilt, the man sets off a chain reaction of events leading to a miraculous ending and the chance for redemption.

7:30 pm, June 15, 16. Lyceum Theater, 57 Maoming Nanlu. 021- 6217-8530

Hong Kong

Men in tights

Ballet lovers bored with the usual lithe ladies floating about on their toes are bound to do double takes at Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The hilarious all-male dance company is known for their riffs on classical dance. The 14-member, New York City-based Trocks, as they are affectionately known, have been performing their playfully entertaining version of ballet for over three decades to international acclaim. Complete with tutus and full theatrical makeup, their unique blend of artistry, skill and parody ensures a fun night out.

May 15-20. Lyric Theater, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wanchai. 852-3128-8288

Macao

Journey with Vivian

Cantopop legend Vivian Chow has enjoyed an enviable 25-year-long career that includes acting in television, film, advertisements and a stint as a radio disc jockey. Yet the majority of her devoted fans adore the Hong Kong beauty for her contemporary take on relationships and heartbreak, as she crosses different musical genres effortlessly. Chow titled her concert Vivian Chow Journey of Love Live in Macao, as the show promises to include the best of her love ballads with a few twists and surprises thrown in.

8 pm, May 19. CotaiArena, The Venetian Macao, Estrada da Baia de N. Senhora da Esperanca, s/n, Taipa. 853-2882-8818

China Daily

(China Daily 05/13/2012 page15)