The bright moon hangs high, drums ring, and the fall and redemption of the Qing Dynasty's "King of Forms" Fang Tangjing begins... This summer, the original Cantonese musical "King of Forms" jointly produced by the Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District and the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre began its mainland tour, from Shanghai to Beijing, setting a record for the most shows and audience numbers of Hong Kong musicals on the mainland tour. The lyrics printed on the poster of "The Great Prince" - "How many encounters will you never forget" - have become a true portrayal of the audience after leaving the theater. The lead actor of the drama and assistant artistic director of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Liu Shouzheng, said, "Many viewers sang the songs in the drama together on the return bus after watching the performance, and some spontaneously made secondary creations. These feedbacks exceeded expectations." The story of "The King of the Grand Concubine" originated from the Qing Dynasty, while the performance form of musicals originated from the West. Although there are cultural differences, the creative team is not worried about the imbalance of the presentation effect. Hong Kong has a rich cultural heritage of blending Eastern and Western cultures, and is also a window for cultural exchange between the two. These advantages allow us to seamlessly integrate different cultures invisibly, and resonate with audiences from anywhere, "said Fang Junjie. The music matrix of 'The Great King' incorporates a large amount of classical and modern style music, all serving the characters. At least 29 different styles of music are arranged in a staggered manner, combining traditional Chinese music with international elements, showcasing the diversity of Hong Kong culture. In the diverse music combinations and Cantonese's nine tones and six tones, the story and music are seamlessly integrated, progressing layer by layer. Whether it's the lack of family affection expressed in 'When There is a Formation' or the exploration of the ups and downs in 'Stepping on Qingyuan', it strikes the heart and leaves an unforgettable impression on the audience. On stage, the simple yet elegant "one table and two chairs" draws inspiration from traditional Chinese opera stage scenery, allowing for seamless switching between circular and rectangular turntables. As the platform rotates, the meaning is infinite. Fang Junjie said that the whole stage design takes the "Oriental freehand brushwork" aesthetics of Chinese landscape painting as the creation pursuit, hoping to build a "blank" space between the audience and the stage. Stage design is also a part of storytelling, combining different sets to tell stories through movement and leaving more room for imagination for the audience. In recent years, more and more Hong Kong literary works have entered mainland theaters. Many Cantonese works, such as "The First Tower Under Heaven" and "A Tale of Two Red Cities," have crossed the barriers of dialects and won applause from the audience.? After the Hong Kong performance of "The King of Glory" in 2023, invitations for performances from mainland cities flooded in. Compared to live performances, touring schedules are more intensive and also pose a challenge to the physical stamina of actors. How to build a touring team has become a difficult problem for the team. In 2024, the cast of "The Great King" began recruiting actors and received nearly 500 applications. In addition to actors from the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, there are also some mainland cities and overseas actors whose native language is not Cantonese. Chen Shuxin, who is 23 years old this year, stood out in the audition and played the leading role of Xiuxiu in the drama. The recent Shanghai tour was her personal stage debut. Chen Shuxin told reporters that she and two other new leads underwent a long period of training and cross rehearsed with another group of actors before officially taking the stage. Chen Shuxin said, "During rehearsals, we interpret our personal style based on our own characteristics, which gives the plot and character relationships a more delicate texture." It is reported that the "mix and match" combination of the two actors will also appear in the third performance in Hong Kong. The "two-way rush" between the audience and good works continues to heat up both inside and outside the play. One or two hours before the first performance in Beijing, the theater hall was already bustling with people. After the performance, the audience wrote sincere reviews on social media, and the creative team always pays attention to the audience's feedback. Looking back at original musicals in Hong Kong, it has been over 50 years since "The White Queen" in 1972. From the initial exploration attempts, to the coexistence of lyrics and music, gradually reaching a better state, and then to the exploration of new commercial models in 1997's "Snow Wolf Lake", gradually forming a creative style that integrates the East and the West and coexists in diversity. The success of 'The Great King' is an opportunity. ”Fang Junjie looks forward to the team of "The Great King" unlocking different cities with their work, and Hong Kong will have more musicals staged at different times and in different theaters in the future, attracting audiences from all over the world and promoting cultural exchanges. (New Society)