Performance season celebrating diversity

Beijing is hosting a spectacular series of performances with the 2025 Grand Performances in Beijing Seasonal Productions program, offering audiences a rich blend of traditional and modern artistic expressions, with international productions enhancing cultural exchange.

The Premium Productions Unit features over 30 carefully selected works, covering themes from the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) to innovative takes on traditional culture. Highlights include classic operas such as The White-Haired Girl, which has sustained its revolutionary spirit for 80 years, and The Savage Land, a landmark in 20th-century opera that toured Europe and North America.

Productions such as the opera Hanshui Danxin (literally "Hanshui River and a red heart") made their Beijing debut, alongside national premieres including the opera Red Sorghum and the musical Forty Days.

Feng Li, president of the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater, noted that this unit brings together works rich in thought and artistry, highlighting Beijing's cultural leadership and innovative spirit. The selected pieces cover a wide range of themes and styles, reflecting contemporary trends while catering to diverse tastes.

The Traditional Chinese Opera Unit showcases 18 outstanding productions from all over China, representing 13 different opera styles, including Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Qinqiang Opera, Hebei Bangzi and Cantonese Opera. This unit showcases the vitality and innovation of traditional Chinese opera. Notable performances include The Peony Pavilion and The Legend of the White Snake, along with new creations such as The Ten Sisters of Miyun. This unit aims to introduce more audiences to the unique charm of traditional Chinese performing arts, bridging the past, present and future.

The Emerging Stars Unit presents 23 dynamic and creative works from young artists, bringing fresh energy to Beijing's stage and showcasing diverse explorations in contemporary theater. Productions include experimental Peking Opera work Diary of a Madman and immersive acrobatic show Full of Beans, along with dramas Alley-Oop and Listen to Your Inner Ape. These works reinterpret classics, break artistic boundaries and capture the tastes of contemporary youth, becoming a new force in reshaping the stage and illuminating the future of theater.

The International Productions Unit, in collaboration with the Beijing People's Art Theatre International Theatre Festival, presents 19 foreign productions from 17 renowned global performance groups. These performances are staged in six major professional theaters, covering diverse art forms such as dance, music, drama and magic. This unit aims to foster cultural exchange and mutual learning, and integrate high-quality global performing arts resources, facilitating in-depth interactions between Chinese and international artists while enhancing Beijing's status as a center for international cultural exchange.

Liu Zhengxi, an Egyptian expert with the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and the Translators Association of China, said that each work in the International Productions Unit is both a window into the artistic essence of different cultures and a bridge connecting China and the world, promoting mutual cultural appreciation.

In mid-November, German theater company Berliner Ensemble, founded by playwright Bertolt Brecht, presented Brecht's classic The Threepenny Opera at the Capital Theater. This production not only showcases the allure of Brechtian theater but also offers inspiration for Chinese theatrical creation.

The Threepenny Opera, born in the cafes and rehearsal rooms of 1928 Berlin, reflects Brecht's early reflections on traditional theater and his comprehensive reforms. Collaborating with composer Kurt Weill, Brecht combined popular music forms with serious theatrical reform, infusing the work with Nietzschean philosophical questioning and sharp critiques of capitalism.

Agatha Christie's classic Murder on the Orient Express is a must-see for mystery enthusiasts. It was staged at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center for eight days in early December. This legendary train journey transforms into an immersive murder mystery game on a 30-square-meter stage, offering viewers a highly engaging experience.

The French musical Romeo and Juliet was performed at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center in October. A young female audience member said to Beijing Daily, "I have loved this musical since middle school, and now in my 30s, watching it feels like a touching farewell journey."

The French musical Moliere is being staged at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center until Sunday. Despite being a new production, having premiered just two years ago, Moliere already swept seven theater awards in France in 2024.

Moliere depicts the life of the French playwright Moliere and features rap music and street dance. Actors engage with the audience by stepping off the stage and into the theater seats, transforming spectators from passive viewers into active participants of the theatrical events.