Singing the praises of the capital

"It's been 20 years since I graduated from Beijing Dance Academy's musical department. The musical, Beijing Story, is my first musical production as a director, so I am very nervous and excited," says Guo."During the past two decades, musicals have gained a large fan base in China, which is totally different from the situation of 20 years old. It's a great timing to produce original Chinese musicals."

Supported by the Beijing Culture and Arts Fund, the musical also gathers a creative team, including composer Liu Sijun, producer Li Lan, conductor Sun Jingkai, who will lead the Tianjin Song and Dance Troupe during the musical, and stage designer Wang Xingang. The cast members include four leading female singers: soprano Wang Ying, singer Lin Ping, mezzo-soprano Chen Guanfu and Huo Yuanyuan, as well as tenor Ding Yi, who rose to fame with the role of Calaf in Turandot in Beijing in 1996 and has been performing at the iconic Sydney Opera House since 1998.

The musical features a diversity of styles, such as bel canto, pop, and jazz. Music elements, such as sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) and jingyun dagu (storytelling in Beijing dialect with drum accompaniment), are also combined in the songs.