Shows

National Theater& NTC: War Horse

Date: Aug 11-Sept 9 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Theater of China

A collaboration between the National Theatre of the UK and the National Theatre of China brings the Mandarin version of War Horse to Beijing, with a starring-role puppet you can't believe is made of cane and nylon. At the outbreak of World War I, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France. He's soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man's land. Albert, who remained on his parents' Devon farm, cannot forget Joey. Though still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-size horses by South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.

Stereoptik Dark Circus

Date: Aug 11-12 - 2:30 pm/7:30 pm

Venue: National Centre for the Performing Art

In this sad circus the catastrophes pile up, one number after another. The trapezist crashes to the ground, the animal trainer is devoured by his lion, the human cannonball never returns from outer space. Luckily there's a clumsy juggler to breathe a little color into the proceedings. If the circus is dark, the tone is light. Music and images accompany the action and the story is laced with poetic moments and a healthy dose of irony: "Come for the show, stay for the woe." The ink drawings that provide the backdrop for Dark Circus, thick and black, resemble photographs in their use of light and contrast. The various techniques used onstage create images of extraordinary beauty and inventiveness. Here, the visual magic of the theater meets the childlike wonder of the circus. Before our eyes, an urban landscape of buildings and streets transforms into a crowd-filled tent. Lit from above, a drum set becomes a runway to the stars, the neck of a guitar morphs into a stern animal trainer. A few flicks of an eraser and a wild horse is liberated from the ring, spreading poetry in his wake.

NCPA Drama The Tempest

Date: Aug 11-15 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts

The five-act play The Tempest is the last play Shakespeare wrote by himself, demonstrating his vision of the future of humanity in the late stages of his works. He depicts the sadness and joy in the world in his work and calls for the spirit of forgiveness, reconciliation, and charity. The peacefulness and atmosphere that it exhibits, as well as its desire for the future of mankind make it even more an immortal classic in literary history. As the NCPA's fourth production of Shakespeare's masterpieces following A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet and King Lear, this production also assembles a group of outstanding creative and actor teams. The well-known drama and film director, Tim Supple will be the director of the play, and the famous Chinese performing artist, PU Cunxin will play the role of the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero.

The Metropolitan Opera Eugene Onegin

Date: Aug 18 - 1:30 pm

Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts

Eugene Onegin is a dandy from Saint Petersburg and leads a life of extravagance like other young aristocrats. Fed up with the empty and frivolous ways of the upper classes, Onegin heads to a village for a new life. Sadly, his unpractical noble education proves to be of no help. Onegin finds his life purposeless, miserable, and confused, and he becomes very depressed. In his estate in the country, Onegin becomes good friends with Lensky and his fiancee Olga. Olga's naive and romantic sister Tatyana falls in love with Onegin. She bravely pours out her feeling in a letter to Onegin, only to be rejected. Years later, Onegin and Tatyana meet again in a ball. He realizes how much he loves her, but it is too late now. Everything has changed.

Beijing Art Theatre for Children My Primitive Famliy

Date: Aug 17-19 - 2:30 pm/7:30 pm

Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts

The story takes place in a "primitive" modern family. The father, who has a one track-mind and is indecisive, fears changes and proves his presence by lifting weights. The mother, who is a collector of bones, always talks about bones, but doesn't concern herself with anything else. The son, born imaginative, cannot accept his parents' lifestyles, neither can he receive recognition from them. He feels depressed, and admires his friends' life. The sharp contradictions and estrangement between the parents and son are broken by the nephew with his arrival. The nephew comes with something, which throws the whole family into a crisis. In the crisis, the family members give full play to their own abilities, but can they pull through together? Where is the key that can help unlock a solution to the dilemma?

Damien Sargue Live Concert

Date: Aug 11 - 2 pm

Venue: Shanghai Culture Square

Five French musical stars: Damien Sargue, Laurent Ban, Mikelangelo Loconte, Robert Marien and Hiba Tawaji joined together to bring 30 of the most classical music pieces in French music in 2017. This year, showcasing the essence of romance in French musicals, Damien Sargue will once again take to the stage and bring an unforgettable and romantic evening. Having started his career as a singer in 1992, Damien Sargue has graced the stage as iconic characters: Romeo in Romeo et Juliette de la haine a l'Amour and Roul in The Phantom of the Opera.

2018 Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition Quarter-Final Round

Date: Aug 11-14 - 10 am/1:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Symphony Hall

Founded in 2015, Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) is Shanghai's first world-class violin competition. The competition takes its name from Isaac Stern to commemorate the musical spirit of Maestro Stern by which a young generation of musicians can be inspired and motivated. Along with a grand prize of $100,000 - the highest monetary award of an international music competition, a jury of renowned artists and a unique performance process, the competition leverages the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra platform with extensive resources around the world - including close cooperation with famous orchestras, such as China Philharmonic Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, etc. The Competition also provides promising contestants with great opportunities including arranging concert tours, album recording and introductions to world-class music agencies, enabling prosperous careers and encouraging winners to embrace their artistic dreams.