Now, he has won the part of Pierre in the new rendition of the musical that will premiere in Shanghai in January 2024. "I knew I had to do it," Grodin told Beijing Review. "And now my dream has come true."

As an exploration of global musical production, the new rendition of The Great Comet combines a creative team and cast from China, the United States and the Republic of Korea, taking Broadway theater to China while making innovations to enliven the show and better cater to the entertainment tastes of local audiences. The musical will be performed in English, with a Chinese translation to be available for the audience. 

High art 

The Great Comet is based on a 70-page section of Tolstoy's masterpiece—which has some 1,300 pages. The musical is about a young woman named Natasha, who arrived in Moscow longing for love, and Pierre, a man caught in an existential crisis, who was searching for meaning in his life.

"The musical tells the story of love and the meaning of life. In the war-torn year of 1812, a group of people dressed in gorgeous costumes, like colliding comets, create dazzling sparks in places beyond the reach of war," Chen Yuting, a Chinese actor who plays Natasha's cousin Sonya, said.

With music and lyrics by American composer and playwright Dave Malloy, the musical originally ran at the off-Broadway nonprofit theater Ars Nova in New York in 2012. In November 2016, it premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theater. The following year, it was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won two—Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design in a Musical. 

The new rendition in China is produced by the Shanghai Grand Theater, Shanghai West Bund Theater and Chinese entertainment media company Eternity Culture. An international production team is involved, including director and choreographer Chloe Treat, musical supervisor Or Matias, Chinese directors Zhou Xiaowei and Du Kaixiang and set designer Pilyoung Oh. Recruited through several rounds of auditions in both Shanghai and New York, the cast of 28 performers were selected from some 4,500 applicants. More than half of the cast are Chinese.

The Great Comet is a sung-through musical, as the performance and plot are entirely pushed forward by songs, unlike other musicals where dialogues play an important part. It mixes rock, pop, soul, folk and electronic dance music with classic Broadway showmanship.

Three preview performances will take place from December 29 to January 1, 2024, while the official shows will take to the stage from January 13 to March 3.

"In my opinion, The Great Comet is high art. It's interesting and smart and subtle," Grodin said. "The ending allows the audience space to contemplate, to feel uncomfortable, to be in the unknown. You might just take a moment to look at your life and ask yourself, 'What do I want out of the rest of my life?'"

A poster for Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 (COURTESY PHOTO)  

Breaking the fourth wall 

One of the innovative characteristics of the new rendition of The Great Comet is a combination of stage performance and immersive experience for the audience, which breaks the fourth wall—an imaginary, invisible wall that stretches along the front of the stage separating actors from audience—drawing them closer. 

Adjustments have been made to the theater. Four hundred front-row seats in the theater have been removed, breaking the barriers between actors and audience. The framed stage has been turned into the immersive scene of a Russian ballroom, where four rings of seats, with each ring representing an aristocratic household in the musical, are placed among the performers on the stage.

In this way, some audience members will watch the show from the perspective of a framed stage, while those sitting among the actors will find the performance taking place around them. "This is a pioneering style of musical performance," Zhou said.

Virtual reality technology has been adopted during rehearsals. Headset on, performers are immediately immersed in the stage setting recreated in a 3D model. They can also see the lighting and costumes that will be used in the actual show. All these details help them improve rehearsal efficiency and get ready for showtime.

Chinese translations of the lyrics will be available on screens beside the stage. "We want to render the subtlety of the original lines and ensure that the Chinese language comes out beautifully," Zhou, who also participated in the translation work, added.

The future 

The Shanghai Grand Theater was the first in China to feature Western musical theater performances.

Back in 2002, the English version of Les Misérables was staged there. Later, Cats, The Sound of Music, The Phantom of the Opera and other popular musicals were introduced to China.

"Although the concept of the musical originates from the West, Chinese musicals are swiftly developing," according to Zhang Xiaoding, General Manager of the Shanghai Grand Theater. She said cooperation on The Great Comet is a great way for the Chinese to learn from the mature production processes of Broadway musicals, from a program's incubation and rehearsal, to the management of casts and other elements. "Every now and then, hiccups occur, and we discuss and solve them together. Those are all invaluable lessons," she told Beijing Review.

"All performers have been devoted to the program from the get-go. We are all showing professionalism and appreciation for others. Plus, the team is full of love. And chemistry," Chen said.

Chen further noted that China today has created several original Chinese musicals as well as introduced ones from the West. "With so many options, the audience will choose the best ones to go to, thus the good ones will survive and thrive and the rest will be eliminated from the market. In this way, the entire industry will mature," she said.

"China boasts a very long history and rich culture. I'm looking forward to the day when more high-quality Chinese musicals are introduced to other countries and get new international renditions," Chen concluded. "The future is in the hands of us young actors."

(Print Edition Title: Flashing from Broadway to Shanghai)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

Comments to luyan@cicgamericas.com