BEIJING: This summer, as the French musical version of Romeo and Juliet toured Chinese cities, performing arts centers staging the show drew numerous exuberant young audiences clad in either red or blue outfits.
The colors represent the two feuding families of Verona, Italy, in the Shakespearean classic. Young Chinese fans went on social media platforms to share information about the show, and did everything — including following the dress code — to become participants rather than passive observers.
China’s Gen Z audiences are increasingly looking for opportunities for viewer participation in the performing arts. They have also become a formidable consumer force in China’s burgeoning performing arts market, and their viewing habits are shaping the business.
Young people who had watched Romeo and Juliet exchanged information online about the cast, the view from different seats in theaters and even French lyrics marked with phonetic indicators. Offline, they lined up for hours for autograph sessions and sprinted to the stage area after the final curtain for encore performances. They even organized a chorus of Aimer, the signature song of the musical, in French. Hao Jiajing, a 19-year-old student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, is an avid fan of rap music and attends live houses and festivals, meticulously dressed in hip-hop clothing. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
