Look at the news Knows reporter Wang Linlin Zhang Kai
2021-06-04 16:52
Wearing a thick blue hooded coat, an old red hat, wellington boots on his feet, and an old suitcase containing personal belongings, Paddington, the national bear of the United Kingdom, is a very famous classic figure in children's literature. Today, this cute Paddington bear has crossed the ocean to Shanghai.
On the evening of June 3, the Chinese production version of the extra-Broadway parent-child drama "Paddington Bear's Bear Home" (hereinafter referred to as "Paddington Bear") officially landed at Shanghai Hongqiao Art Center, kicking off a total of eight performances that lasted for four days. Authorized by Rockefeller Productions and produced by Hongyang Theatre, the Chinese production was launched in Shanghai, and it was the first stop of the show's global tour after the performance on Broadway outside New York.
Paddington Bear is a well-known national treasure IP in the United Kingdom, and the parent-child drama "Paddington Bear Cubs" is the first stage play version of the IP, which was well received by the audience and the media when performed in New York, and the New York Times made a full-page in-depth evaluation, and Broadway World called it "the hottest family drama in the whole city".
The Chinese production of Paddington Bear is the first foreign language production version of the show after the original English version. The producer, Dream Culture and Hongqiao Art Center, carried out in-depth cooperation in the preparatory process, completed the incubation process of the entire "Sinicization" from introduction, creation to landing, and preserved the excellent production of Outer Broadway with "original taste" and completed the localization of "re-creation" with high quality.
Most of the props in the play are produced by the original "reproduction", and the muppets in the play were nominated for the 2020 Critics Awards For Best Muppet Awards. After these original props crossed the ocean to China, they continued to adjust according to the stage size of domestic theaters, in addition, the stage artist also carefully designed many stage organs according to the plot, in order to present continuous surprises to the audience.
The Chinese production is co-directed by the original Outer Broadway director Jonathan Rockefeller and the Chinese director Gao Shengyun. Rockefeller was the creator of the Off-Broadway children's drama "The Hungry Caterpillar," which was hard to find during the show and set a new record for the length of time a resident children's show on Outer Broadway. Chinese director Gao Shengyun is the co-founder of PI STUDIO (Thunderbolt Studio), representing plays such as the French Avignon Festival resident drama "The Secret of the Strings" and the immersive drama "Alice in Adventures".
"We try our best to perform in a foreign style so that Chinese actors can perform naturally." Chinese director Gao Shengyun said that Chinese actors need to spend a lot of time to ponder the performance style of Outer Broadway, and bring genres such as puppet drama, comedy and clown elements into the production of the Chinese version. "The Chinese side also spent a lot of time polishing how to make this play our story, and we also spent a lot of thought on the script to find some kind of game language or humor on the lines."
"I hope to be able to bring this classic British IP to audiences across China through the modern production method of Broadway in the United States, coupled with the production of the Chinese version of the landing." Cao Yebo, general manager of hongyang international producer and general representative of broadway on-demand network in Greater China, believes that the original intention of producing the Chinese version of "Paddington Bear" is not only to encourage more Chinese families to enter the theater, but also to extend the influence of an excellent parent-child drama to the outside of the theater, produce a broader social welfare effect, and encourage and drive children to grow up positively.
Therefore, "Paddington Bear" has carried out many educational cooperation with Shanghai International Schools and Drama Bookstores, so that drama art has entered the campus, through various forms such as second classroom quality education, with the "healing" story of "Paddington Bear" as the main line, guiding children to learn courtesy and respect, freedom and responsibility from the bears; and parents are also fully integrated into the experience of parent-child drama in this process, adding to the time of coexistence with children growing up happily.
Paddington Bear also takes Nanfeng City as the main activity location and launches projects such as parent-child workshops. Through picture book reading, English teaching, performance clip display, animal puppet operation experience, animal puppet making, parent-child soft pottery/face sculpture bear, etc., parents and children can personally feel the charm of drama and grow together in parent-child companionship and interactive experience.
The premiere of "Paddington Bear" in Shanghai was enthusiastically received, and several Shanghai performances have been sold out since then, which shows the urgent need of Chinese families for excellent parent-child dramas. Cao Yebo said that he hopes to turn watching such an excellent parent-child drama as "Paddington Bear" into an important way to inspire children's growth, and become something that family members can complete and enjoy together. "We hope to use this as an opportunity to continue to explore and change the entertainment habits of Chinese families, so that Chinese audiences can enter the theater at a younger age."
In the next seven months, Paddington Bear will also travel to Chengdu, Beijing, Suzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin and other cities, so that the footprints of Paddington Bear will spread all over the country. In addition, the China Tour will join hands with the Art Accessibility Platform, launched by the British Council and the Beijing Centre for Continuing Cultural Exchange, to launch a relaxed and self-contained venue with art to meet the accessibility needs of different audiences.
(Look at the news Knows reporter: Wang Linlin Camera: Zhang Kai Intern: Chen Yujing)