"Xiaomi" and "Old Flight" are back! The original French musical "Rock Mozart" performed 22 consecutive shows in Shanghai

On the evening of June 27, the original French musical Rock Mozart came to Shanghai Culture Square for the third time, and all 22 performances were sold out. Michelangelo Leconte, who played Mozart, still remembers the scene of the performance at Shanghai Culture Square five years ago: "That time, I seemed to be awakened, and there was a world full of audiences and love around me." After five years, the audience returned to the theater, some of whom were reunited after a long absence, and some were acquainted for the first time.

Mile, a viewer who is about to watch Rock Mozart for the second time, said: "This is a young and lively Mozart, a Mozart that belongs to each of us." This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and is also the China-France Cultural Tourism Year. At the beginning of the year, the original French musical Don Giovanni was performed 17 times in Shanghai Culture Square. In September, Notre Dame de Paris will also return, setting off a new wave of French musicals.

The original French musical Rock Mozart depicts the artistic life of Mozart. The bold rock music, modern performance techniques, classic Baroque costumes and the gorgeous stage of the European court have produced a wonderful chemical reaction. In September 2009, Rock Mozart premiered at the Paris Stadium and attracted attention.

13 years ago, the original French musical "Notre Dame de Paris" was performed as the first year-end drama in Shanghai Culture Square. Since then, original French musicals have gradually gained their own audiences in Shanghai. "Romeo and Juliet", "Rock Mozart" and "Les Miserables" French musical concerts have followed one after another, leaving highlights in the Culture Square.

Fei Yuanhong, deputy general manager of Shanghai Culture Square, said that most French musicals are in line with Chinese aesthetics, because their freehand sense and creative concept centered on poetry and songs coincide with the aesthetic tastes that Chinese people have inherited through opera for thousands of years. On New Year's Day 2018, Rock Mozart came to mainland China for the first time and performed 24 consecutive shows at Shanghai Culture Square, all of which were sold out. Some audiences even bought tickets for 24 shows in a row, rented a house near the theater, and watched every day. In the winter of 2019, this French musical sold out as soon as the tickets were opened, and it also went to more cities outside Shanghai.

After a lapse of 5 years, the return of Rock Mozart in 2024 is another "two-way rush" between Shanghai audiences and French musicals. Michelangelo Leconte, the original actor who played Mozart, and Laurent Bann, who played Salieri with outstanding singing skills, both returned. They are affectionately called "Xiaomi" and "Old Flight" by Chinese audiences. In countless performances, they have continuously enriched their roles.

Unlike Broadway, French musicals pay great attention to using records to promote the musicals. The music album of "Rock Mozart" was on the French music album chart for 20 weeks.

Among them, there are many hits that are familiar to Chinese audiences. In "Ding Dong Music", the singer slowly stepped out from the ice-blue lights, creating a futuristic psychedelic electronic atmosphere. Mozart's surging love for Aloysia began from this moment. "Beautiful Pain" perfectly presents Salieri's torn and complex inner portrayal after hearing Mozart's music for the first time. The bold and seductive choreography and modeling present Salieri's almost crazy emotional touch on the stage in a dark fantasy, setting the tone for the tit-for-tat but sympathetic emotional entanglement between the two people in the whole play. The single "Tattoo Me" has maintained the sales champion in France for five consecutive weeks, and has achieved the amazing result of maintaining the top 5 sales for 11 consecutive weeks.

Many people think that the French musical Rock Mozart is not as rich in plot and profound in theme as the German musical Mozart, but the former is more romantic, passionate and humorous. When appreciating French musicals, the audience will not care whether the narrative is missing a piece, whether the stage design is too abstract, or whether a certain actor's performance is "out of place". Some blank spaces, some jumps, some alienation can be fully understood by Chinese audiences, and they can feel more.

François Schuckey, director and screenwriter of Rock Mozart, said: "The uniqueness and originality we pursue is precisely to ensure rigor while having a certain degree of freedom."

This time in Shanghai, Rock Mozart has also been injected with a lot of fresh blood. The 23-year-old stage rookie Yanis Richard will play the role of Mozart. Rock Mozart was the first performance Yanis watched in his childhood. He fell in love with the play at the age of ten. He will present a unique and powerful Mozart to the Chinese audience.