What's on
Making a splash
The classic fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, has been adapted into a Chinese play by the China National Theater for Children. By Danish theater director Torkild Lindebjerg and Danish composer Jens Tolsgaard, along with Chinese creative team members, the play tells the story of a curious and free-spirited mermaid who courageously follows her dreams and embarks on life-changing adventures to find what she truly treasures. The play, which premiered on July 6, 2019, gathers five young actresses from the China National Theater for Children to play the roles of the five mermaid sisters. The music pieces in the play feature stringed instruments, like guitar, harp and ukulele, and are performed by the composer.
7:30 pm, Aug 19 to 22. National Center for the Performing Arts. No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.
A peak performance
The NCPA Chorus and Chinese opera singers, including Zhou Xiaolin, Zhang Xin and Wang Chong, will perform the concert version of Chinese opera production, Visitors on the Snow Mountain. Adapted from a Chinese movie in 1963 with the same title, the opera, produced by the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing in 2015, was written by composer Lei Lei alongside librettist Yi Ming and was directed by Chen Yixin. It tells the story of frontier guards in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The music features both Western classical music and Xinjiang ethnic folk songs.
Aug 21 and 22. National Center for the Performing Arts. No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.