A classic tale returns

Russian musical Anna Karenina goes back to its story of origin as it begins a tour of Chinese theaters, Chen Nan reports.

In 2022, when the performing arts scene in China was facing the unprecedented challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese and Russian artists worked together to bring out a Chinese version of the Russian musical Anna Karenina, which toured China and became a hit.

Now, as everything returns to normal and live performances are booming once more, the original version of the Russian musical is on tour in China.

From Dec 1 to Jan 27, the Russian musical visits nine cities, including Beijing, Harbin in Heilongjiang province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province and the Sichuan provincial capital, Chengdu.

"We released the Chinese version of the musical Anna Karenina during the pandemic," says the Russian director of the musical, Alina Chevik.

"I could not come to China, so I attended rehearsals online. That was the main difficulty of the work, which was an unforgettable experience.

"I believe that art has no boundaries. We may speak different languages, but when we become one team, burning with one idea and dedicated to one task, all our differences become insignificant. We have many differences in understanding the work process, but the fact that we are willing to meet each other in solving any problems is very valuable and is the main thing in any collaboration."

The musical, Anna Karenina, was adapted from Leo Tolstoy's iconic novel, and follows the dramatic and ill-fated love story between the married protagonist and a dashing military officer, Alexey Vronsky. The characters struggle with overwhelming love and betrayal, passion and duty, hope and desperation.

Directed by Chevik and choreographed by Irina Korneeva, the Russian musical premiered in 2016 in Moscow with a score by Roman Ignatyev and a libretto by Yuri Kim. Over 40 songs of the musical feature a wide range of genres, such as pop, rock and opera. The choreography also covers different styles, such as classical ballet and contemporary dance.