Cao Zhen caozhen0806@126.com FRENCH musical “Le Rouge et Le Noir — L’Opéra Rock,” produced by China’s AC Orange and ACO Musical, debuted at Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center in Shenzhen on Thursday night and will rock the city in five more shows until Sunday. Adapted from Stendhal’s historical psychological novel of the same name published in 1830, the musical chronicles the attempts of a young man named Julien to rise socially beyond his modest upbringing through a combination of talent, hard work, deception and hypocrisy. The novel not only depicts Julien’s romance and betrayal but also makes a satire of French social order under the Bourbon Restoration (1814-1830). To attract modern audience members, the musical portrays the rigid religious and social structures of 19th-century France with catchy rock music and stunning 3-D multimedia visuals. A live band can be seen performing above the actors on a two-level stage setting. Movable LED screens serve as backgrounds at times throughout the show to help indicate characters’ psychological activities. “The setting of the musical makes performers soon get immersed into real history. And thanks to Stendhal’s classic literature, the musical has a solid plot, not just songs and dances,” said actress Juliette Behar who plays Mathilde de la Mole. “When I first watched the musical in France in 2016, I was stunned by this classic-turned-rock rendition, so I decided to bring it to China,” said Jackie Yu, producer of the 2019 version of the musical. She said that after the 2016 show, the French company behind the original musical closed, but she believed it to be a must-see piece for more audiences, so she reorganized some original cast and crew members and spent one year reproducing the musical. “It’s an honor to have a French musical staged in China,” said actor Côme who plays Julien. “We are glad to see that the musical has a wide audience in China, which gives me much pressure to play the lead character,” he added. The 150-minute musical features 21 easy-listening songs to show characters’ struggles and passion, plus three encores to liven the theater with the audience. The main creative team of “Le Rouge et Le Noir” — director François Chouquet, music director and composer William Rousseau, and artistic director and lyricist Vincent Baguian — have also collaborated in “Mozart, L’Opéra Rock” and “1789: Les Amants de la Bastille.” Since Sept. 27, the musical has been staged in Shijiazhuang, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in more than 40 sold-out shows, attracting young musical fans and French literature lovers. After the Shenzhen leg, the musical will begin its international tour. A scene from “Le Rouge et Le Noir — L’Opéra Rock.”Courtesy of AC Orange, ACO Musical Time: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 15-17 (Nov. 16-17 also at 2:30 p.m.) Tickets: 180-1,180 yuan Venue: Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center, Nanshan District (南山区南山文体中心) Metro: Line 1 to Taoyuan Station (桃园站), Exit B | 