Connected by the stars

Anew musical featuring Chinese and international artists, Sound of the Silk Road, was staged at the China National Opera House in Beijing on Friday, and will also be performed on Saturday night. A national tour will follow after the shows in the capital.

The musical follows the story of a teenager named Joey, who, while visiting a museum, accidentally travels back 2,000 years and arrives in Chang'an (today's Xi'an), capital of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24). During his journey, he makes friends with a young, upright man, and a brave and kind teenage girl. Together, they accomplish various missions and develop a deep friendship.

Chang'an, the capital of many ancient dynasties, was also the eastern departure point of the Silk Road. The musical presents the culture and history of various countries along the Silk Road, allowing the audience to better understand its civilizational legacy.

In 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the musical premiered in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, with five shows in three days.

From April 28, after the national tour, the musical will be staged as a resident show at Qinyin Theater, which is located in the popular scenic spot, Silk Road Paradise, also in Xi'an.

According to Zhou Bing, Party secretary and chairman of the Shaanxi Tourism Group, who is also the chief planner of the musical, Sound of the Silk Road was born to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Bob Nederlander Jr, CEO of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, co-producer of the musical, says: "Sound of the Silk Road came about through a shared vision and collaboration with my friend and partner Zhou. We were striving for great entertainment that celebrates the history of China, the Silk Road and the city of Xi'an. That's compelling for not only Chinese audiences, but also for Broadway and international audiences — and I think we accomplished our task.

"There's always a challenge when bringing two creative approaches together in developing a show. Fortunately, we had a great Broadway team that was eager to learn about Chinese history and culture, and had a desire to work with their counterparts, our Chinese creative team, who were also outstanding."

He adds that the creative teams faced tremendous challenges in producing the show during the pandemic. A diversity of elements, such as singing, dancing, martial arts, acrobatics and magic, are featured in the musical, which is supported by technologies such as holograms and three-dimensional images.

Veteran Chinese songwriters Liang Mang and Peter Kam were part of the creative team. They used both traditional Chinese musical instruments and contemporary instruments to portray the scenes of time traveling.

"There are many Chinese musical elements, and some of the songs were inspired by old Chinese folk songs," says Liang, a lyricist.

Playwright Marc Acito, who wrote the script for the musical, says: "As an international team, we wanted to celebrate the diversity of all of the cultures that were united by trade on the Silk Road. People thousands of miles apart were all, like we say in the title of our opening song, Connected by the Stars, and that just felt like a wonderful message to start a musical."

"When I first visited Xi'an, I went to see the Terracotta Warriors, and the moment that the crowd parted and I could suddenly see them (the soldiers) for the first time, I burst into tears. It was a profound experience that went beyond intellect. It was existential, elemental and emotional," says Acito.

"I wanted to capture that kind of experience for a young contemporary person going into the past, to understand the value in putting down your phone and dealing with the places and people right in front of you."

Director Gabriel Barre made many trips to China. He worked with Chinese performers in the musical, which is influenced by the Broadway style.

"There are a lot of themes in the show, which is normal for a Broadway musical, but the one that sticks out to me is the story of how precarious the connection between all of us as human beings is," he says.