Golden Lotus (musical)

Last updated

Golden Lotus
Golden Lotus (2021) Musical Film Poster.jpg
Golden Lotus Film Poster
Music George Chiang
LyricsGeorge Chiang
Book George Chiang
Basis Jin Ping Mei (The Golden Lotus)
PremiereSeptember 12, 2014: Y-Theatre, Hong Kong
Productions2014 Hong Kong
Awards Full list

Golden Lotus is a musical written and composed by George Chiang. The musical is based on the classic 17th-century Chinese novel Jin Ping Mei (The Golden Lotus). Set amidst the dying, war-torn years of Song dynasty China, the musical tells the story of the Golden Lotus (Pan Jinlian), whose desire for true love leads her into a web of deception and desperation with the valiant tiger slayer Wu Sung, the rich and powerful Xi Men (Ximen Qing), and the humble peddler Wu Da (Wu Dalang). [1] [2]

Contents

Development

Golden Lotus participated in the ASCAP Foundation/Disney Theatrical Productions Musical Theatre Workshop in New York City during March and April 2003 with artistic direction by Stephen Schwartz. The three-week workshop included two live performances by a cast of sixteen performers which included Harriet Chung as Golden Lotus, and Scott Watanabe (who also served as the music director) as the District Intendant. [3] [4] [5]

The musical was presented to a series of focus groups, which led to further revisions. This was followed by a year-long workshop led by Jim Betts with Script Lab's workshop in Toronto, modeled after BMI's Lehman Engels Musical Theater workshop in New York. Following the workshop, Betts worked directly with Chiang for several months on the musical as its dramaturge. [3]

Hong Kong World Premiere

On September 12, 2014, Golden Lotus premiered in Hong Kong at the Y-Theatre with a cast of twenty-six performers. The production featured Harriet Chung as the title character, Boon Ho Sung as Wu Sung, and Ronan Pak Kin Yan as Ximen. Also featured were Billy Sy as Wu Da, Samantha Fa as Madam Wang, Scott Watanabe as the District Intendant, Marc Ngan as the Fruit Peddler, and Soraya Chau as Ping. Emily Chan directed the production, with music arrangements by George Gao, choreography by Ivy Chung, and set and costume design by Moe Mo. [1] [6] [7] [2]

The production hailed Golden Lotus as "Hong Kong's First Musical." [8] Its signature pop love song, "A World Away", has been praised. [9] The production was recognized with three Hong Kong English Drama Award nominations for Best Show, Best Actress (Harriet Chung), and Best Original Work. [10] [11] [12]

Musical film

The Hong Kong production of Golden Lotus was captured live during four consecutive performances and later edited into a feature-length film showcased at film festivals during 2021–2023. The musical film won over 60 awards across multiple categories, including Best Picture of the Festival at the 2023 World Independent Cinema Awards (WICA). Golden Lotus was selected as the standout film of the year and named the best film from all 11 festivals. [13] [14]

On May 1, 2024, Golden Lotus began streaming on the Stratford Festival's digital platform. Chiang called the deal a "proper alignment" with Straftest@Home due to their commitment to showcasing world-class theater. [14]

Musical numbers

Albums

Golden Lotus: Sounds From The Musical was released on May 31, 2015. It is a CD consisting of 15 songs from the musical as they appeared in the Hong Kong world premiere. It was recorded in Toronto with Harriet Chung as Golden Lotus, Charles Azulay as Wu Sung, Thom Allison as Xi Men, George Chiang as Wu Da, Stacey-Lea Marhue as Madam Wang, Scott Watanabe as the District Intendant, Pierre Bayuga as the Fruit Peddler, and Josette Jorge as Ping. The music and its vocal arrangements were directed by Tim Stiff, and the music arrangements was by George Gao. [15]

Track Listing – Golden Lotus: Sounds From The Musical
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Wu Sung Slayed the Tiger"Scott Watanabe4:07
2."Captain of the Guard"Chales Azulay2:17
3."Fresh Buns for Sale"
Lauren De Simon		1:43
4."Paradise"
2:15
5."Her Name Is Golden Lotus"Stacey-Lea Marhue2:45
6."As Each Day Goes By"
Charles Azulay		2:40
7."A World Away"
3:31
8."Purple Stone Street"Pierre Bayuga2:31
9."Clandestine Affair"Pierre Bayuga2:56
10."Does Anybody Here Know?"Charles Azulay, Pierre Bayuga3:04
11."Flag of Death"Charles Azulay
4:25
12."Waterlily Pavilion"Marisa Mclntyre, Katie Beetham, Leah Canali
2:34
13."a World Away"
2:21
14."Little Brother Mandarin"
Scott Watanabe, Josette Jorge		3:52
15."Destiny"Charles Azulay3:42
Total length:40:28

Golden Lotus: Sounds From The Musical (Deluxe Edition) was released on December 1, 2023, and features 4 additional tracks from the musical, which are: "When I Close My Eyes", "Verdant Spring Bordello", "Little Brother Mandarin (Reprise)", and "Lord of the Five Ways". [16] [17]

Track Listing – Golden Lotus: Sounds From The Musical (Deluxe Edition)
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Wu Sung Slayed the Tiger"Scott Watanabe
4:07
2."Captain of the Guard"Chales Azulay
2:17
3."Fresh Buns for Sale"
Lauren De Simon		1:43
4."When I Close My Eyes"
2:39
5."Verdant Spring Bordello"Stacey-Lea Marhue
4:10
6."Paradise"
2:15
7."Her Name Is Golden Lotus"Stacey-Lea Marhue
2:45
8."As Each Day Goes By"
Charles Azulay
2:40
9."A World Away"
3:31
10."Purple Stone Street"Pierre Bayuga
2:31
11."Clandestine Affair"Pierre Bayuga
2:56
12."Does Anybody Here Know?"Charles Azulay
3:04
13."Flag of Death"Charles Azulay
4:23
14."Waterlily Pavilion"Marisa Mclntyre
Katie Beetham, Leah Canali
2:34
15."A World Away (Reprise)"
2:16
16."Little Brother Mandarin"
Scott Watanabe, Josette Jorge		3:52
17."Little Brother Mandarin (Reprise)"Josette Jorge
0:30
18."Lord of the Five Ways"
4:46
19."Destiny"Charles Azulay
3:41
Total length:56:09

Singles

A single of the signature pop ballad from Golden Lotus, "A World Away", was recorded by Harriet Chung. The song was arranged by Warren Robert, who also conducted the live orchestra for the recording. The single and its music video were released on August 25, 2020, as "A World Away (Remix)". The single won Best Original Song at the Hollywood Gold Awards. [18]

Harriet Chung recorded a solo version and music video of the signature duet from Golden Lotus, "As Each Day Goes By" on October 6, 2023. The single and its music video won Best Original Song and Best Music Video at the International Gold Awards. [19]

References

  1. 1 2 Review: "Golden Lotus The Musical", MADDBUZZHK, September 13, 2014
  2. 1 2 Review- Golden Lotus, the Musical", hkeld.com, September 13, 2014
  3. 1 2 ", Film The Magazine, pages 21-24, February 10, 2023
  4. ↑ "Preview-Golden Lotus, the Musical". hkeld.com. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ Woman Pursues Her Passion in Life and Dance, The Standard HK, September 10, 2014
  6. ↑ Rebirth of an Epic Tale of Passion, The Standard HK, page 4, September 5, 2014
  7. ↑ 身演出振雄風 白健恩生擒潘金蓮 He Was Born to Capture Golden Lotus, hd.stheadline.com, September 5, 2014
  8. ↑ "Golden Lotus – The Musical: 'Hong Kong's First Musical'". madbuzzhk.com. September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ 白健恩激情戲成重點 Ronan Pak Kin Yan's Passion Play, SING PAO, September 25, 2014
  10. ↑ "白健恩主演音樂劇《金瓶梅》獲《最佳原創作品獎》Ronan Pak Kin Yan starred in Golden Lotus Which Won the "Best Original Work" Award". a1c1.com.hk. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ And the winners are... HKELD.com, September 8, 2015
  12. ↑ "Golden Lotus Leads The Pack With 4 Award Wins At The Barcelona International Film Festival". nationalpost. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Stouffville composer wins accolades for Golden Lotus film". thestar.com. February 20, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Golden Lotus begins streaming on Stratfest@Home". Stratford Today. April 23, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Golden Lotus". stouffvilleuxbridge.snapd.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  16. ↑ recordworld.com, October 20, 2023
  17. ↑ Tinnitist.com, October 13, 2023
  18. ↑ Awards, Hollywood Gold. "Hollywood Gold Awards". Hollywood Gold Awards. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  19. ↑ Awards, International Gold. "International Gold Awards". International Gold Awards. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.