Power of 2

Musical, based on Japanese adaptation of German novel, set to be staged across five cities, Chen Nan reports.

Das doppelte Lottchen (The Double Lottie), is a novel by German writer Erich Kastner that was published around 1950. Also known as Lisa and Lottie, the novel follows a pair of twins who didn't know each other and lived in their own separate worlds until they met in a summer camp. They decided to play a role-replacement game, trying to reunite their families.

The heartwarming novel has become a classic since it was published and has been adapted into six movies in different languages, including The Parent Trap, a 1998 family comedy directed by Nancy Meyers. It was also turned into a TV drama and a cartoon movie. In 1971, Japan's Shiki Theatre Company adapted it into a musical, which has been staged for nearly 1,000 times in Japan.

In 2021, while celebrating the musical's 50th anniversary, the Japanese theater company and its Chinese partners decided to adapt the musical into a Chinese version, titled Two Times Lotte, which will be premiered in Beijing in June. After its premiere, the musical will tour the Chinese cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jinan and Suzhou through the year.