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(Original IP + Lingnan Culture, the Cantonese version of "Lion Boy" is staged|Literature and Art Prosperity Nanyue Tour, High-end Interview, a total of 4 minutes and 42 seconds)
On the evening of May 9, the Cantonese version of the musical "Lion Boy" was staged at the Guangzhou Grand Theatre, kicking off the 2024 Guangzhou Arts Season. The play is specially presented as the 14th anniversary celebration of the Guangzhou Grand Theatre, adapted from the phenomenal Guoman film IP of the same name, and has been funded by the special fund for the support of literary and artistic masterpieces (literary and artistic talents) in Guangdong Province.
This issue of "Xiaoying VLOG" conducted an exclusive interview with Chen Rui, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Grand Theatre and producer of "Lion Boy".
Southern Magazine: In the last issue, you shared with us the story behind "Marco Polo", the Cantonese version of "Lion Boy" kicked off the 2024 Guangzhou Art Season, and you also called for this musical!
Chen Rui: "Marco Polo" has just been withdrawn, and our "Lion Boy" has entered. In fact, in March, the Cantonese version of the musical "Lion Boy" was invited by the 52nd Hong Kong Arts Festival, an important cultural event in the international art scene, and premiered at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. As the first musical in the mainland to be invited to participate in the Hong Kong Arts Festival, it has attracted much attention, and the tickets for the five performances were sold out two weeks in advance, which is very popular and has a good reputation. This time, we brought it back to Guangzhou, and we were very much looking forward to it as the premiere of the Cantonese version in the mainland.
Wonderful stills. Photo: Xia Dong
Southern Magazine: What are the highlights of the Cantonese version of "Lion Boy"? Could you please give us a spoiler?
Chen Rui: Our screenwriting teacher summed it up very well, just as the promotional copywriter said, "There are all kinds of reasons to give up, and insisting on only one is enough". I think the spirit of the story and our creation and presentation are all reflected in this sentence.
The musical "Lion Boy" tells the story of a teenager chasing his dreams. In this creative process, all the artists and cast and crew of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have always adhered to this belief, so we have created such a literary and artistic masterpiece for everyone.
The musical "Lion Boy" tells the story of an ordinary teenager who has gone through ups and downs to learn from his teacher, dancing his lion head and jumping high pile. The whole play unfolds slowly under the intersection of music, dance and lion dance, and the lines are laughing and inspiring. The 20 original songs are a blend of diverse musical styles, including traditional drums, pop songs, rock, lyrical, local opera, mountain songs, flamenco and other musical elements.
The live band composed of keyboards, guitars, bass, drums, percussion, violin, cello, flute and other instruments plays infectious music, bringing the audience both auditory and visual enjoyment.
Hero flower brooch.
"Southern" Magazine: We saw on the table the cultural creativity of "Lion Boy", it is reported that the Mandarin version was very popular before, and this fan also sold the best.
Chen Rui: That's right. Young people especially like this fan, because it is very practical, including this hero flower brooch represents our Guangdong kapok, which is also one of the very important elements in the play. This batch of cultural and creative products has launched 6 new products, extracting the unique elements of Guangdong in the repertoire for design, and integrating the elements of "Lion Boy" into daily life and products, such as handmade enamel hero flower brooches, dual-purpose handbags, ceramic coaster sets, mobile phone holders, etc.
Intense rehearsals. Photo: Xia Dong
Southern Magazine: What are our creative plans for the next exchange in the Humanities Bay Area?
Rui Chen: Our main plan this year is the tour of "Lion Boy". First of all, we will have the premiere of the Cantonese version of the mainland in Guangzhou on May 9th, and then we will also take it to Foshan, Zhuhai and Shenzhen in the Greater Bay Area for a round of tours.
Lion dancing is a common cultural symbol and cultural gene in the Bay Area, and the spiritual core of "giving up even if there are all kinds of reasons, insisting on only one is enough" conveyed by this musical will also lead the spiritual and cultural atmosphere of the Bay Area and enhance the cultural identity of the people in the Greater Bay Area.
Therefore, the creation of this drama itself is a very typical experience of the integration of Bay Area cultures. We invited the main creators from Hong Kong and Macau, and half of the crew are the main creative artists and actors from Hong Kong and Macau. This time, from creation and performance to the level of front and back of the stage, it is a very in-depth cultural exchange in the Bay Area. We will also continue to absorb and accumulate good experience and continuously optimize our content.
Southern Magazine: Whether it's "Marco Polo" or now "Lion Boy", we all feel the blending and collision of cultures at the Guangzhou Grand Theatre. We look forward to seeing more high-quality works at the Guangzhou Grand Theatre and wishing us more original repertoire.
Synopsis:
One day he met a girl with the same name as him, the girl's enthusiasm for the lion dance opened the door to Ajuan's dream, let him listen to his inner voice, and formed a lion team with two friends, worshiped the hidden lion dance master Salted Yuqiang's door, the master and apprentice four people moved forward, received hard training day and night, and marched towards the goal of the "National Lion Dance Competition". But when the day of the lion dance competition is approaching, Ajuan's family has encountered misfortune... Will he give up the dream he has been chasing and work hard to make a living, or will he jump up with the lion head and fight hard with his teammates regardless of everything?