On January 10, 2024, SGT Arts Class X Campus invited the creators and cast of the new Broadway's immersive musical “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” (short for the musical "The Great Comet") into Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School to talk about the musical "The Great Comet" with teachers and students. "The Great Comet" is a masterpiece originated from the Broadway and later reproduced by the Chinese team. The integration of Eastern and Western culture is truly a captivating cultural feast for all here in SSBS.

The sharing session brought dialogues and acting together, unveiling the story of "The Great Comet" and its course of creation. SSBS staff and students were all overwhelmed by this splendid feast for both eyes and ears.

Chinese Director Zhou Xiaowei elaborated on the differences of original and imported plays when approaching them. She also shared her working experience from the international cast and her insights on global musical production. Another guest Kaye Tuckerman, the lead actress of the musical who enjoys a global reputation, unveiled the touching story behind the musical. Both of them mentioned that features of classical literature play a great role in musicals. "Modern readers are still deeply fascinated by stories that are more than a century away from us. These stories reflect themes like human struggles, war and peace that still exist today and are strikingly thought-provoking. They had an impact when it was created and it is and will be a powerful influence on the society.” The collision of literature and music, the combination of humanities and art are all vividly represented in the musical, leaving the teachers and students in contemplation.

Director Zhou and Kaye also talked about characterization, stage design, music arrangement, live band accompaniment, stage innovation, etc., The part and parcel of the musical’s creation was all unfolded before us all.

The cast of "The Great Comet" also gave an outstanding performance during the buffet. Ms. Yuting Chen’s solo “Sonya Alone” revealed the infinite feelings of the characters. Chen Xuanzhi, Yang Zhenyi, Ian Ward Brininstool, and Daniel Stromfeld shared their stories about the musical. The atmosphere reached another peak as Bex Odorisio present the second musical piece "Charming." Following up, the third artwork was melodious and masterful. “One of my favorite songs in ‘the Great Comet’ ‘No One Else’should be performed by no one else but Ms. Naomi Diana.” Here we came to the final music performance of today with Mr. Cooper Grodin, to guide us through the mystery masked behind the dust and ashes of life. The song “Dust & Ashes” soon turned the entire hall into a ballroom of musical notes. The actors' voices harmoniously blended together, creating a magnificent auditory experience that drew a perfect conclusion to this musical journey.

After the sharing session and the buffet, we interviewed the whole team. Members of the SSBS musical club asked about rehearsals and acting. Based on her own experience, Director Zhou talked about her understanding of artistic creation and team management - how to transfer bewtween different identities, how to adapt to different cultures, how to navigate through different drama markets, etc. Ms. Tuckerman mentioned that meeting people from different cultures has given her a profound sense of the power of music. She compared music to coffee. “There is always a cup of coffee that everyone shares and enjoys in different places, just as she had espresso in Europe, lightly roasted coffee in Japan, and Ethiopian coffee beans in Kenya. Music is the same. It is something everyone enjoys in common and yet possesses distinctive characteristics.” Ms. Tuckerman wanted to use music as a common language to communicate with the world and connect people.

Thanks to the event, music was echoing in SSBS for the whole afternoon. A member of musical club even brought Polaroid camera to take pictures with the cast. “I’ve seen the actress’s musical several times. Meeting with the actors in person was a dream to me.”

Cultivating students’ artistic interest and aesthetic sense has always been one of our pursuits here in SSBS.