“Music is not just light entertainment; it’s a soul-saving pursuit,” says Joyce Hill Stoner, a material culture professor trained in musical theater, who wrote the lyrics for the Shanghai Sonatas, alongside Gao, who composed the music, and book writer Alan Goodson, who developed the storyline. The team drew on their own differences to create the compelling story. “This is very personal to me as a Jew and someone who has known Holocaust survivors,” says Goodson, “But I would never go into a project like this without Chinese collaborators.”
A cosmopolitan city, Shanghai in the 1930s was home to expat communities from around the world, with a vibrant nightlife including theatres, opera and jazz clubs. Shanghai Sonatas reflects this melting pot with songs written in various musical styles, from American musical theatre to 1930s jazz and klezmer to Peking opera.
In true unifying power, the production has resonated with audiences of all ages, experiences and backgrounds, including the late Holocaust survivor and Shanghai refugee. Betty Grebenschikoff. Speaking with UD concert attendees, she recalled how her German friends pushed her, insulted her and threw mud at her. In China, under exceptionally difficult circumstances, Grebenschikoff found new community, and hope.
UD’s Master Players Concert Series first presented Shanghai Sonatas as a staged concert event during its 2019-2020 season. From that initial performance, the musical has been expanded, rewritten, workshopped and produced across the country.
After a well-received concert version in Los Angeles earlier this year, the team spent time finalizing their most recent draft, one that is ready for a fully staged musical production that could find life at a regional or non-profit theatre, or even a Broadway stage.
“This is a story of belonging,” says Gao. “The horrors of humanity stem from a lack of education and connection. That’s why artists have a strong and urgent mission to educate, to connect; to share important messages and strengthen our understanding of each other. That’s what we’re doing here.”
Audiences can learn about upcoming performances at https://shanghaisonatas.com/
MEGAN M.F. EVERHART
DECEMBER 05, 2023