The biggest ticket items for the Beijing Culture Week (北京文化週) of the 2011 Cross-Strait Intercity Culture & Arts Exchange (兩岸城市藝術節) this weekend is a massive musical commemorating the life and songs of Teresa Teng (鄧麗君), probably East Asia’s best-known singer. Love U, Teresa (愛上鄧麗君), which boasts 30 classic songs, a cast and crew of 300 and a production cost of US$4.7 million, displays what China can do when it takes on the Broadway musical. The show, which opened last night, will be in Taipei for four more performances, with tickets still available for the performances at 7:30pm tomorrow and Sunday.
The production draws talent from around the world, which is only appropriate for a singer who for many was the voice of hope for Chinese-speaking people during the tumultuous second half of the 20th century. Born in Taiwan’s Yunlin County, Teng emerged as one of Mando-pop’s first superstars. She not only sang in her first language of Mandarin, but also in Taiwanese, Cantonese, Japanese and English. She was one of very few Chinese singers of the last century to crack the Japanese market and one of the first to hold a major concert in Europe.
The production team sports some impressive credentials. Local audiences will note the presence of Taiwan’s Wang Hui-ling (王蕙玲), who wrote the book for the musical (she also has screenplay credits for Ang Lee’s (李安) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍) and Lust, Caution, 色,戒). There is also cinema composer Peter Kam (金培達) from Hong Kong, director Joey McKneely (who worked on a recent revival of West Side Story in New York) and Daryl Waters (who won a Tony Award for his orchestration of the musical Memphis, currently on Broadway), all under the leadership of artistic director Li Dun (李盾), a highly acclaimed creator of musical theater in China.
Photo Courtesy of Vision International Culture
Love U, Teresa is similar in concept to the Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, in that it links a collection of well-known though unconnected songs together in a narrative form. Many Teng favorites are featured, though some have been reworked as rock or tango numbers to provide variety and to suit dramatic needs. The musical also shows a degree of boldness in tackling thorny historical and social issues. First, although Teng has been thoroughly rehabilitated, there was a time when her music was banned in China, and her role as the sweetheart of the Chinese Nationalist troops in Taiwan can never have endeared her to the Communist authorities. It is a testament to her popularity that despite the ban, her music survived in China through a black market in her recordings, and her songs are as well known in China as they are in her homeland.
Moreover, the story is not a straightforward biography of the singer, but rather takes as its hero a young boy called Zhou Mengjun (周夢君), who wants to make it as a singer in Shanghai. The cruel realities of modern China see his dreams shattered, and in his despair he turns to drink. He meets a girl, whose love almost revives his spirit, but she too becomes a victim of a ravenous entertainment industry. Through these vicissitudes, he discovers the nature of true love, and among the meager objects that his mother leaves him, he discovers the music of Teresa Teng. There are plenty of opportunities for Teng’s songs, with their affecting mixture of hope and sorrow, to shine.
Love U, Teresa is produced in opulent cabaret style with huge stage effects and enough sequins and laser lights for a Las Vegas floor show. Although Teng is not the central character, she is definitely the star, as the story even makes a visit to heaven to see her singing among the angels. The production has two singers playing Teng: Li Shuo (李爍), a singer of international standing who has earned the sobriquet “Little Teresa” (小鄧麗君), and Wang Jing (王靜), a recent winner at a national Teresa Teng singing competition.
Love U, Teresa will be performed at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (台北國父紀念館), 505, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段505號). Tickets available for tomorrow and Sunday at 7:30pm. Tickets are NT$800 to NT$3,000; available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw.
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