A still from the musical "Jews in Shanghai." (Photo/shine.cn)
A local produced musical about Jewish refugees in Shanghai before and during World War II is to be staged regularly in New York and Shanghai simultaneously.
The producer of the musical titled "Jews in Shanghai" signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Broadway-based Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment on Monday to present the historic show to Broadway audiences.
"We hope more people, even the whole world, can learn about the history through our musical Jews in Shanghai," said Xu Jun, the musical's director.
According to the MOU, the musical will make its Broadway debut in 2019 and will run for two years. It will be staged in New York and Shanghai simultaneously to prepare for a future worldwide tour, said Chen Zhongwei, president with the Shanghai Heng Yuan Xiang Theater Development Company, the producer.
The musical tells the story of the more than 20,000 Jews who fled to Shanghai from Europe to escape the Nazis. They were welcomed and sheltered by Shanghai residents, who were in turn offered help and support by Jewish residents when Japan invaded China, said Xu.
This period of time demonstrated the kindness, tolerance, and love of Chinese people that should be respected by Israel and deserved to be known by more people, said Nadav Zysblat, deputy consul general of Israeli Consulate in Shanghai.
The musical proved a hit when performed in Tel Aviv in March to mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Israel, Zysblat said.
"We hope the musical can be promoted worldwide through the Broadway platform along with the warmth and light behind the story," Zysblat added.
