Verne stage production is in a league of its own

TV and film actor Bao Jianfeng is one of the actors who portray Captain Nemo. It's been about 10 years since he last participated in a stage production.

"I've always hoped for an opportunity to come back onstage. Because I respect the stage, I am more prudent in my choices. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is precisely the reason I needed. The book has been a window to explore the world since childhood," he says.

He was also curious about how the team would bring the novel to life. Coproduced by the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and performing arts company Tempest Projects, the production is joined by French theater artists, notably Christian Hecq, director and actor from leading French theater company Comedie-Francaise.

Hecq says that what touched him the most about Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is not written in the book itself, but in another book by Verne, The Mysterious Island.

The book unveils the earlier life experiences of Captain Nemo, who turned out to be a prince forced to exile, flee his own kingdom, and take on a new identity.

"We learn why he is so angry. I really like the fact that he is changeable and unpredictable. He helps people who have no money. He is also a person with a beautiful soul," Hecq says.

"He's not a simple character, but complicated and layered. Paradoxical personalities, to me, are very interesting."

Bao also says that what he finds most interesting about playing Captain Nemo is finding commonalities as humans and understanding the character's complexity.

"Theater is really about exploring human issues and inner conflicts. There are people like Nemo, who is turbulent and temperamental, whose logic can be hard to grasp. Yet every role has some aspects that resonate with us," he says.

"To understand Nemo, to enter his world and explore whether I can make sense of it, is what brings me the greatest joy in my work."