Nederlander Worldwide Partners With Chinese Presenters for NYC Premiere of Red Chamber
By Kenneth Jones
29 Jan 2008
Chinese and American cultural partners are conjuring The Dream of the Red Chamber — The Dance, a theatrical dance event celebrating the Chinese New Year, for a New York City premiere Feb. 8-9.
The 8 PM performances at the Rose Theater are billed as "a cultural gift to America and the Broadway and dance audiences of New York." The tickets are being distributed by invitation only. Chinese New Year begins Feb. 7.
Performed by Beijing Friendship Dance Company, and presented by Shanghai City Dance, Ltd., with many cultural partners, this is the award-winning interpretation of China's revered work of literature. Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment is the U.S. presenter of the piece.
Directed and choreographed by the award-winning Zhao Ming, the show has a score by the Academy Award-winning composer So Cong (who scored "The Last Emperor").
"The Dream of the Red Chamber follows the tragic story of love and marriage amongst the three main characters: Baoyu, Daiyu and Baochai, who are the honored scions of a great noble family," according to production notes. "Besides the love tragedy, the novel reflects the era's social reality and societal changes as it follows the descent of a typical feudal family."
According to production notes, the plot of The Dream of the Red Chamber — The Dance goes something like this: "In ancient Nanjing, a boy was born into the great Jia Family with a rare jade in his mouth. He was named Baoyu (The Jade) and quickly became the favorite of all of who lived at the great Rong Palace. Baoyu, with inborn tenderness and affection, cared much for the ladies around him, especially for Daiyu, his cousin. Daiyu's mother died when she was a child leaving her alone in the world. She soon deemed Baoyu as her only true love. But the love between Baoyu and Daiyu was challenged by the interference of the popular and charming, Baochai, another cousin of Baoyu from another noble family…"
When the families decide that Baochai and Baoyu will marry, Daiyu weeps to death. Baoyu leaves his family "to become a cloistered monk and to live out his days on earth alone in spiritual contemplation."
The piece's lighting design is by Zhao Zhongcheng and Weng Chunpu. The vibrant costumes are by Song Li. Principal dancers are Zhang Jin and Shan Chong.
The venerated story has been adapted for dance by Zhao Ming, Wang Xiaoling, Li Fuxiang and Zhang Weidong.
The Rose Theater is in the Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center at 60th Street (in the Time Warner Center).
The production's presenters are Shanghai City Dance, Ltd., Shanghai International Cultural & Communication Association and Eastern Shanghai International Cultural Film & Television Group in association with in association with Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, LLC.
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Through its affiliate, Nederlander New Century (the first foreign joint venture approved by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to participate in theatrical presentation and theatre management), Nederlander Worldwide recently presented 42nd Street, the first Broadway show to tour throughout The People's Republic of China.
Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, founded and managed by Robert Nederlander, Jr., a member of the third generation of the Nederlander entertainment family, has been involved in a variety of live entertainment projects including the expansion of the Nederlander operations into China, the development of an Off-Broadway theatre circuit and various theatrical production projects.
Nederlander New Century has established a circuit of first-tier legitimate theatres in major cities throughout China including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Ningbo and other major Chinese markets for the purpose of presenting a series of world-renowned Broadway musicals.
Nederlander Worldwide is developing a circuit of regional Off-Broadway theatres for the purpose of presenting the best in Off-Broadway productions. The first markets in the network include the Post Street and Marines Memorial Theatres in San Francisco, the Bethesda Theatre in Bethesda, MD, and the Proscenium Theatre in Sarasota, FL.
Affiliates of Nederlander Worldwide have also been involved with the ownership and/or operation of Broadway theatres in San Francisco, Detroit and Chicago.
Nederlander Worldwide is the producer of many theatrical presentations including tap dance master Savion Glover's international tour Improvography, as well as a series of Broadway-style shows aboard Europe’s Celebrity Cruises' M/S Constellation.
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A scene from The Dream of the Red Chamber.
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