Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, under the direction of Bob Nederlander, Jr., partners with Shaanxi Tourism Group’s Legend Performances to present Sound of the Silk Road. The original Mandarin-language musical, helmed by award-winning Broadway director Gabriel Barre (Amazing Grace, The Wild Party), features a book by Marc Acito, music by Peter Kam and lyrics by Liang Man. Sound of the Silk Road will have its world-premiere July 23, 24, and 25 at Xi’an China’s Shaanxi Grand Theater. In 2022 the musical will be installed in a new theatrical venue at Xi’an’s new Silk Road Paradise theme park, prior to an international tour.
With Chinese acrobats, musicians, magicians, Lion King-sized puppets, Sound of the Silk Road celebrates Xi’an, then known as Chang’an, the ancient origin of the Silk Road over 2000 years ago during the Han Dynasty. The musical’s plot follows the adventure of a modern teenage boy traveling back in time to Han Dynasty where he witnesses the old world opening the western routes bringing danger and glory and love.
In an international three-year collaboration, artists from Broadway, Berlin and Beijing have developed Sound of the Silk Road through a series of online readings, virtual concerts and a Beijing workshop. The creative team includes choreography by Hu Lei, scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Ding Jiyan, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Yuan Chuang, media design by Leigh Sachwitz / flora&faunavision, puppet design by Stefano Brancato, hair and makeup design by Chen JunJun, script translation by Qiu Ye (Phil Qiu), and musical arrangements by Jason Howland, Peter Kam and Matthew Liu. Don Frantz is Executive Producer of Sound of the Silk Road.
Photos courtesy of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment
