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Butterflies," billed as "the first world-class musical with distinctive Chinese flavors," flies to Shanghai this Sunday.

Over the years, audiences have seen top-quality Western musicals such as "Cats," "Phantom of the Opera" and "The Lion King," and have gradually gained an idea of what the best should be like.

But will "Butterflies" fly? It may have wings, but does it have legs?

Based on the story of the "Butterfly Lovers" ("Liang Zhu"), perhaps the most well-known Chinese love story in the world, the musical is an avant-garde interpretation of legend sometimes called a Chinese "Romeo and Juliet."

The leading male character Liang Shanbo is a young vagabond poet, while the leading female Zhu Yingtai is a proud, restrained beauty filled with dreams and illusions.

Zhu is not human, however, but one of the cursed Butterfly People. The only way to release them from the curse is for Zhu, the most beautiful Butterfly, to marry a human being at the World's Terminus.

On Zhu's wedding day, Liang and the bride fall in love at first sight and elope. Finally they are captured by the fierce Butterfly People. When the two are about to be executed, they soar up to the skies in flames and become a pair of free beautiful butterfly lovers.

Playwright Guan Shan has added vivid, dramatic characters not included in the original story, such as the Big Daddy, Zhu's father and leader of the Butterfly People; the Wave Flower, Zhu's loving, wildly passionate confidante with a sexy "devilish" body; and the Old Drunkard, a woman dressed as a beggar man who turns out to be Zhu's mother.

The original three-hour script was taken over by a Canadian "script doctor" who cut out a lot of philosophy, moved the story along and made it more entertaining.
"I want to create something artistic and entertaining," says creative Gilles Maheu who directed the French-Canadian musical "Notre Dame de Paris."

Since the musical is a relatively a new art form in China, it is still very different from musicals in Europe and needs to be entertaining, he says.

Maheu's solution is a show based on Western principles, filled with Chinese musical elements.

The 60-million-yuan (US$8.12 million) production features a world-class production team. It inclues international experts such as director Wayne Fowkes, choreographer Darren Charles, lighting designer Alain Lortie and video designer Olivier Goulet.

The soul of the play, the musical director, is versatile Chinese composer San Bao. He has blended pop and classical for the two-hour show.

"A Chinese musical should be created based on the characteristics of the Chinese language," he says. "My inspirations come from the four tones."

Renowned composer Tan Dun has praised the music as "clean and effective."

The stage will feature a huge LED screen, nine by 12 meters at the widest.

"It is more like the set for a movie," set designer Miao Peiru says. "It is hard to describe. it's based on my understanding of the 'World Terminus': the terminal of time, a shockingly beautiful place."

The lighting system employs the most advanced technologies, creating an "oil painting effect."

The role of Liang will be performed by promising young Beijing-based singer Liu Yan; Zhu will be played by the 2006 "Super Girl" winner Tan Weiwei. Famous tenor Yang Xiaoyong takes on the role of the Big Daddy.

Date: December 16-20, 7:15pm
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 People's Ave.
Tickets: 100-1,000 yuan
Tel: 021-6386-8686
In Chinese with English subtitles