Film-like musical debuts in Beijing to show digital changes to the traditional Chinese performing industry

Fans holding the show's ticket Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Performance and Arts Group

 
On the Road, an online digital version of Chinese musical  recently premiered at the Beijing Jinbao Palace Cinema. 

Despite the musical featuring stellar singers such as A Yunga, having already debuted in 2020, the lasted version has been given a new twist as it is the online digital version of the show. The new version marks an attempt of the traditional Chinese performing industry to seek for crossover collaborations within the digital field. 

The online digital version follows the musical’s original narrative. On the Road depicts a story about a group young Chinese entrepreneur in the delivery industry. The male singer A Yunga plays the hero Yao Yuan and Chinese actress An Yuexi interpreted the heroine Lu Xiao’ou in the show. 

Spanning 20 years staring from 1999, those young individuals reflect the tenacity and brave spirit of Chinese when encountering life’s setbacks. Their stories of trying find a unique footing in the society with diligence and wisdom were rooted in the show director’s everyday observations. 

Xiao Jie, the director told the Global Times that the musical production was launched under the shadow of  COVID-19. The whole crew was challenged to try to give their best during the difficult time.  

“We all have a strong belief and a common goal to create an original musical that reflects the reality of Chinese people’s lives,” said A Yunga. 

To better transfer musical piece into a digital film, the whole crew has tried to employ multi-angle cameras and several split screens to amplify each character’s state of mind. 

Dong Ning, the producer of the show said that On the Road is an “iconic example” of the “internet+” explorations of Chinese performing industry. In future, more and more Chinese productions can start to combine the performing with film and video arts, to which they can appeal to wider range of audiences. 

Both the musical and online digital versions of the show were produced by Beijing Performance and Arts Group. The pay-per-view of the show will be released through the official website of the Beijing Performance and Arts Group on Friday. In May 2024, the musical version of On the Road will debut again in Beijing at the Poly Theatre.