High ticket prices, short schedules, and high-risk domestic musicals should not become cultural fast food

the original foreign musicals such as "Wicked Witch" and "Bodyguard" have been introduced one after another, the adapted Chinese versions such as "the Cat who want to be Human" and "the Sound of Music" have been staged one after another, and the premiere of original musicals such as "Phoenix bathed in Fire". 2017 can be called the "big year" of Chinese musicals.

the original foreign musicals such as "Wicked Witch" and "Bodyguard" have been introduced one after another, the adapted Chinese versions such as "Cat who want to be Human" and "the Sound of Music" have been staged one after another, and the premiere of original musicals such as "Phoenix bathed in Fire". 2017 can be described as the "big year" of Chinese musicals. However, under the prosperity, problems such as the lack of originality and the deficiency of the industrial chain have also been mentioned again and again. Some experts pointed out that it is necessary to guard against the reduction of domestic musicals to fast food performances with high ticket prices, short periods and high risks. Chinese musicals still have a long way to go from the introduction of the original to the cultivation of originality.

< strong > imported from abroad, there is a lack of original fine works < / strong >

wonderful stories, wonderful songs, ingenious scene transformation and atmosphere rendering, making the audience feel as if they were in a fantastic forest and a fiery sea. Not long ago, the family musical "the Cat who wants to be a Man" introduced from Japan captured the hearts of the audience as soon as it was unveiled at the Poly Theater in Beijing. At present, the play is on a national tour.

this year, original musicals such as" Wicked Witch "and" Bodyguard "have been introduced one after another, adapted Chinese versions such as" Cat who want to be Human "and" the Sound of Music "have been staged one after another, and original musicals such as" Phoenix bathed in Fire "have been premiered, and the musical market has shown a booming trend. But under the seemingly prosperous scene, the brands of Chinese musicals are still on their way.

experts point out that as a unique art form that combines music, dance and drama elements, musicals require a very professional production level. At the same time, musicals also need to be based on market operation. Musical is a popular and commercial stage art, which is not only the cultural consumption mode of the public, but also the stage art form that combines most closely with the market.

in terms of the development of Chinese musicals, musicals are imported. Since entered China in the last century, Chinese audiences have only begun to have a preliminary understanding of musicals through classic works such as Les Miserables and Notre Dame.

Chinese musical teaching also started relatively late. "in 1992, musical teaching at the Central Academy of Drama was just beginning, and at that time the concept of musicals was very vague." Niu Xinci, professor of the Central Academy of Drama and founder of the musical class, recalled. In 2002, the Shanghai Grand Theater introduced Les Miserables, which set off an upsurge of introducing original classic musicals in China.

"from 2007 to 2008, there was an upsurge in the introduction of musicals in mainland China, and the types of imported works began to diversify gradually." Said Mu Yu, professor of the Beijing Dance Academy and director of the China Musical Association.

in 2011, with the popularity of the Chinese musical "Mama Mia" and "Cat", Chinese musicals began to explore the development of industrialization. At present, the musicals performed in the domestic market are roughly divided into three categories: the direct introduction of the original classic repertoire, the Chinese version of foreign classic repertoire, and the domestic original repertoire. As far as the current market situation is concerned, the imported musicals are still dominant.

since the beginning of the 21st century, there have been many works in Chinese original musicals. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 200 original musicals in recent years, but most of these musicals have disappeared, and few of them can really win audience recognition and achieve good box office.

changes in the market environment have also made musicals face new challenges. According to the 2016 Musical Annual report released by the Dolce Performing Arts Industry Research Center, the box office revenue of musicals nationwide in 2016 was 174 million yuan, down 23 percent from 2015, and the number of audiences was 1.016 million, down 21.4 percent from 2015.

"I usually watch more foreign musicals, but I feel that there are fewer domestic musicals." Li Andong, from the master's communication class of 2016 at Renmin University of China, said bluntly that the production level of many domestic musicals is not entirely satisfactory.

< strong > lack of industrial operation, the audience is unstable < / strong >

recently, the original musical "Bodyguard" in the West end of London opened a national tour. The musical, based on the classic film of the same name starring star Whitney Houston, has toured more than 2200 times in nine countries across Europe, the United States and Asia.

introducing classic musicals and exploiting the existing extensive audience base and mature operation experience to open up the market is a relatively safe way. The musical Phantom of the Theater, introduced in 2015, grossed more than 100 million yuan at the box office.

original musicals not only need to pass the test of time and market, but also test the production and performance team of musicals. And talent is the deficiency of current Chinese musicals. Lu Bing, a musical producer, admitted that there are too few good actors in domestic musicals. This has something to do with our education system and market environment.

Wang Zujun, chairman of the Chinese Opera Research Association, believes that Chinese musical teaching started relatively late. Nowadays there are more and more majors in musicals all over the country. Professional colleges and universities train many graduates every year, but the relevant talents continue to be lost. An industry insider said that the salary of musical actors is much lower than that of film and television actors, and many students change careers as soon as they graduate. What stays is only out of love.

in addition to actors, there is also a serious shortage of full-time directors of musicals. Ju Qihong, a professor at Nanjing Academy of Arts, believes that the level of directors determines whether musicals can be accepted by the broad audience. As far as the major offered by domestic art colleges is concerned, acting ranks first, screenwriter and composer take the second place, and musical director major is rare. This has created an embarrassing situation of a serious lack of full-time directors.

Wang Xiangshu, planner and producer of the Chinese version of the musical "want to be a Cat of Man", said that our musicals still lack good scripts and music. Music and stories should not be two layers of skin, good music is actually part of the script, can promote the development of the plot, tell a good story.

the current situation of domestic musical industry is not optimistic, most of them still follow the traditional mode and lack the operation mechanism of industrialization. In the West end of London and Broadway of New York, there are quite mature musical industry chains. In recent years, French musicals and German musicals continue to emerge, and the rapid rise of the musical industry in Japan and South Korea is inseparable from a mature market environment and a sound industrial operation mechanism.

"the large capital injection, the short creation cycle and the urgent cost recovery have gradually reduced the domestic original musical to a 'fast food performance' with high ticket price, short period and high risk." Mu Yu said when talking about the Chinese musical market.

"the high ticket price restricts the opportunity for excellent plays to meet with the audience, and the development of the market is bound to be restricted." Yang Qianwu, vice chairman and secretary general of the Beijing dramatists Association, is also worried.

the theme of domestic musicals is relatively small, which leads to the instability of its audience and restricts the development of the market.

drama director Shao Zehui pointed out, "in China, in view of the lack of musicals for children over the age of 10, the theme of most children's plays is more suitable for minority children than primary-age. The subject matter is too small, which can easily lead to the loss of the audience. "

"the general direction of cultural development is popularization, and the same is true for musicals. Only popularization can cover the largest Chinese audience. " Yang Qianwu pointed out.

for domestic musicals, it is not uncommon to face problems. The introduction of a large number of classical musicals is a "compulsory course", but not the "last lesson". Through original introduction and copyright cooperation, our ultimate goal is to learn the creative mechanism of the West, cultivate the audience and market, create original classic works, and then push Chinese musicals to the world.

< strong > you can't always stare at Broadway, but also have to face the land under your feet all the time. < / strong >

compared with others, musicals are almost demanding on actors. Weber, known as the "father of musicals", believes that musical actors must have three conditions at the same time: singing, dancing and performing. Throughout foreign countries, musicians have received the most stringent training and study, proficient in singing, dancing and acting. On the other hand, there are very few Chinese actors with the comprehensive skills required by musicals.

"Chinese musical education and talent training are of great significance." Ju Qihong pointed out, "more and more talents can achieve more good shows, let the play bring people, people to interpret the play, so that the continuous virtuous circle can make China's musical industry stronger and stronger."

in addition to paying attention to talent training, the localization of musicals has also been mentioned again and again. Art form is always related to certain social form, national psychology and national art tradition. Any foreign art form must be combined with the reality of China, and musicals are no exception.

in terms of its characteristics, the form with national traditional style is the best form of artistic expression. " Wang Daocheng, vice president of the China Musical Theatre Association and a critic, said frankly, "in the practice of localizing musical scripts, they should be perfectly integrated with traditional Chinese opera and other art forms."

musicals enter China, although they are typical imports, domestic original musicals should not be just translated versions of European and American musicals. In music, dance beauty, modeling, clothing and other aspects, should have distinct Chinese characteristics. Chinese musicians should not stare at Broadway and the West end every day, but should always face the loess slopes beneath their feet.

in order to localize musicals, many theaters and groups all over the country are exploring. Dongguan, Guangdong to build a musical capital, establish "government support, target supervision, enterprise investment, project group, theater marketing" musical creation and production "Dongguan mode", create a number of original musicals. Zhou Hanbiao, president of the Dongguan Federation of Literature and Art, said, "We have been focusing on the production of original musicals. next, we should focus on introducing performing arts industry companies, build a production platform for musical production, and produce more and better musicals. At the same time, develop related industrial products to lay the foundation for the development of Chinese musicals." While doing a good job in the introduction, Poly Cinema is also actively trying to launch domestic original musicals such as "Sanmao wandering Story", "Steel Qin" and "Wang er's long March". Zhang Zhaohui, deputy general manager of Poly Cinema, said that he hopes to let more and more audiences see world-class performances on their doorstep, and at the same time cultivate a thriving Chinese musical market through long-term and unremitting efforts.

Mu Yu believes that the slow development of Chinese local musicals is closely related to our immature market and lack of industrialization atmosphere. Musicals are different from classical operas and folk dramas born in agricultural society, and they are not the performance pattern of "internal viewing, departmental awards, leaders' interviews and peaceful public opinion" in the planned economy. Musicals need industrialization operation under the condition of market economy to promote development.

Wang Xiangshu said that the localization of excellent overseas musicals is a promotion of Chinese actors and overall creation, and an indispensable way for the development of Chinese musicals. "the development of Chinese original musicals can learn from foreign experience and pay attention to extending the industrial chain. For example, the success of the Japanese four Seasons Theatre Troupe is closely related to its enterprise management and market-oriented operation. "

"We should learn from it to build the original brand of Chinese musicals, and develop the industry of Chinese musicals." Wang Zujun said, "I hope that Chinese musicians can start with respect for the market, proceed from the needs of the local market, and feel the pulse of our own culture."

Edit: mary