Six months after its "soft" opening, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center -- the world's newest major theatrical and concert complex -- shifts up into top gear tomorrow night.
For the first time, three performances will blaze out simultaneously in the halls of the orchid-shaped Shanghai Oriental Arts Center tomorrow night to mark the official opening of the city's state-of-the-art theater complex in Pudong.
In the Concert Hall a galaxy of artists from the People's Liberation Army will present a movie-themed musical concert. On the scarlet-hued stage of the Opera Hall, the Argentina diva Fabiana Barvo will be the passionate "Tosca'' of Puccini's opera. And the sky-blue Performance Hall will resonate to Spanish melodies played by guitarist Wang Zhen from Beijing.
Stamps containing images of world's newest and one of its most spectacular arts centers will be on sale on the night in the main hall. The center had a "soft'' opening on December 31 but from tomorrow night on, the striking theater and concert complex under its butterfly orchid-shaped roofs will be in full swing.
But it has not been an easy time getting there. "I've met with great difficulties over the past six months,'' says Lin Hongming, general manager of the center. Lin, the former manager of the Shanghai Peking Opera House and the Shanghai Opera House, says one of the biggest problems was that potential concertgoers who live in Puxi had not formed the "habit'' of crossing the Huangpu River to come to Pudong for concerts.
Another difficulty had been ongoing construction work -- including the installation of a new organ -- which meant the concert hall was open for performances only on weekends. "In addition, our management company was formed a little late in the day so it was hard to get top artists to appear. They have to be booked one or two years ahead,'' Lin says. "The team is also very young and inexperienced. China lacks a sufficient number of professionals in theater and performance management.''
However, Lin pronounces himself basically satisfied with the center's readiness considering the difficulties. "We've got an audience of 150,000 booked in for 90 performances from January to June this year with an average occupancy rate of 85 percent,'' he says. "We've had successes in bookings for special occasions such as the New Year, Spring Festival and Labor Day holiday in May. We have only a little deficit which is better than my expectations.''
The center and its first-class facilities already have a good reputation among local musicians and music lovers for sound quality. "The stage is more spacious than the Shanghai Concert Hall and the sound quality is better than the Shanghai Grand Theater -- it's perfect for playing major musical pieces such as some of Mahler's compositions,'' says Li Yanhuan, a local music critic.
Shanghai violinist Wang Zhijiong who has played two concerts in the center says: "It's great that I can hear my solo playing clean and clear on the stage. It usually sounds very light and unclear on other local stages. "But it's a bit weird that there are seats behind the stage because I don't like having an audience sitting behind me.
But I like the soloist's restroom a lot. It's spacious and new and I have my own bathroom.'' Shanghai Symphony Orchestra General Manager Chen Guangxian says the sound quality has become even better since the "soft'' opening six months ago. "This is Shanghai's first purpose-built concert hall which means our orchestra doesn't feel homeless anymore,'' Chen says.
"Our first concert in the center on January 15 gained a rating of 95 percent. Now we have more alternatives in the choice of theaters, both in Puxi and Pudong.'' But Chen also feels the inconvenient location of the arts center in Pudong may affect attendances. "There are neither shops nor restaurants nearby,'' he says. "Some people in the audience are afraid of the darkness. Musicians can find nowhere to get food after rehearsals that may go on for a whole afternoon.
And some people in the audience may have to leave before a concert ends to catch the last train home on the subway.'' "Also the ticketing arrangements are not good enough. The Shanghai Grand Theater and Shanghai Concert Hall's convenient locations allow music lovers to buy tickets when passing by. I'm looking forward to seeing some improvements here.'' Critic Li complains that he can hear the hum of electricity during music recitals.
He also says that the "seats are too crowded and are not comfortable'' but admits that this is a problem in every theater in Shanghai. To counter some of these criticisms Lin says that the center is going to open a restaurant and a cafe which will offer food at various prices. "I want people to come to the center even in the daytime to have a cup of coffee or talk about business,'' he says.
The total box office of all Shanghai's theaters topped 660 million yuan (US$79.5 million) last year. A total of 12,000 performances attracted about 8 million audience, which means that every Shanghainese attends an average of 0.6 performances. "It's a big cake and it will be bigger if we can increase the number so that every single Shanghainese attends one performance a year,'' says Lin. However, he is aware that there are others who will want to share that cake with him.
The Shanghai Grand Theater in People's Square has been running successfully for seven years and it has become one of China's most influential theatrical venues. The Shanghai government also has plans to construct two medium-sized theaters in the Cultural Square on Shaanxi Road and a new 3,000-seat grand theater in the next three-to-five years on the site set aside for the 2010 World Expo on the banks of the Huangpu River.
"The Shanghai Grand Theater is a benchmark for me to approach and surpass but in the meantime, I also have pursuers behind me,'' Lin says with a chuckle. "I don't have much time -- only five years -- to build up our reputation.'' Lin hopes that Shanghai's wide range of new and old theaters will each develop a different character to help ensure more healthy competition. "For instance, the Grand Theater has been focusing on big musicals recently while we are better at presenting concerts and operas,'' Lin says.
"Highlighting the different advantages each theater offers will lead to the city's theater industry thriving, just like how Xujiahui is thriving where each department store has created its own style to adapt to the cruel realities of competition.'' Let's pray that Lin's hopes for the future development of Shanghai's theaters come true and the city will have a variety of well-run entertainment complexes on both sides of the Huangpu River.
(Shanghai Daily June 30, 2005)
