Musical recounting Shenzhen story fascinates Houston audience

A Broadway-style musical depicting China's trade hub Shenzhen was staged in its U.S. sister city Houston Friday, fascinating a large crowd of audience.

The bilingual musical "Metropolis" was presented at the Miller Outdoor Theater near downtown Houston Friday night. Hundreds of Houstonians braved a chilly drizzle for the show.

The musical depicts Shenzhen's transformation from a small fishing village to a world class city it is today through music, choreography, costumes and colorful video scenery -- all within 90 minutes.

The story centers around Cheng Gong, the main character, who grows from a boy to a grandfather with the city of Shenzhen and witnesses all its changes.

The musical, a result of collaboration between Shenzhen's Bureau of Culture and Houston Worldwide Stage, is performed by Chinese artists and composed and directed by U.S. professionals.

Its composer, Burton Wolfe, an internationally-acclaimed playwright, told Xinhua the inspiration of the story came from a Chinese friend's suggestion to write a Broadway-style musical about Shenzhen's development over the past 30 years, an endeavor that has not been attempted before.

Wolfe said Shenzhen is one of his favorite cities and he would like to let more Americans, particularly Houstonians, know more about this amazing city. Shenzhen has been a sister city of Houston for nearly three decades.

Yang Song, culture counselor from Chinese Consulate General in Houston, commented after watching the musical that its original way of recounting a Chinese story through a Western art form is inspirational and conducive for people-to-people understanding between China and the U.S..

For those audience who had scarce knowledge about Shenzhen, the musical is no less than a lesson taught. Kaylyn Murphy, a mother of three, told Xinhua she did not expect the show was so educational.

"It is definitely fabulous. The kids learned a great deal about this city and China," she said.

The musical made its U.S. premier in New York last week and is performed Friday and Saturday in Houston.