Golden Lotus (musical)
Golden Lotus is a musical based upon the most infamous Chinese novel of all time, Jin Ping Mei. The book, music and lyrics were written by George Chiang.[1]
The musical was first workshopped in 2003 by the ASCAP Foundation/Disney Theatrical Productions Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, artistic directed by Stephen Schwartz. This was followed by a workshop funded by the Ontario Arts Council and a year-long process, with Script Lab's Lehman Engels Musical Theatre Workshop in Toronto directed by Jim Betts. In September 2014, Golden Lotus received its critically acclaimed world premiere production in Hong Kong. Starring Harriet Chung as Golden Lotus, Boon Ho Sung as Wu Sung and Ronan Pak Kin Yan as Xi Men. The production was directed by Emily Chan with music arrangements by George Gao, choreography by Ivy Chung and set & costume design by Moe Mo.[2]
The musical, sung in English, features a multifarious soundtrack. Composed and arranged by George Chiang and George Gao, the music features a mix of saccharine pop rock songs, mixed with Chinese classical instruments, as well other fusions.[3]
Golden Lotus tells the story of the eponymous character, Golden Lotus, and her misfortunes and misadventures. Betwixt a cunning story of political satire, a doomed love story, and an epic tale of heroism, therein lies also a story of a woman’s transformation from docility into insanity, and her eventual path to redemption.[4]