Little Red Riding Hood, The Musical (click here for photos)My friend Gary and his colleagues Danielle and Barbara had worked for months with their students to produce a quirky, delightful musical version of the classic folk tale. Rae and I made the trip to Hexi Teachers’ College in Zhangye, Gansu, to cheer them on and join voices as friends of the chorus onstage. It may seem weird that we would be incorporated in the production at the last minute (just one rehearsal!) but keep in mind that foreigners are so rare and precious here that we might have been Julie Andrews and Britney Spears making unexpected guest appearances.
The student performers were confident, competent and professional. The musical had many highlights, but my personal favorite was a production number, led by the Wolf, to Michael Jackson’s "Thriller." What I found extraordinary about Little Red Riding Hood was the triumph of quality over quantity. Some Hexi College cadres complained afterwards that the musical was too short – a typical entertainment here lasts at least two hours. (Last night our Dragon Boat Festival show at Lian Da lasted three hours, and consisted of one tortured amateur rendition after another.) LRRH was
good, from beginning to end. The students had worked hard for months, they gave a superior performance, and they knew it.
After the finale, the curtain remained open with the cast still onstage. The audience began to disperse, the PA system blasting Bob Seger’s "Old Time Rock and Roll." Rae and I, leaving our seats in the front row, casually began to dance on the auditorium floor. To our surprise, others joined us, we were swept onto the stage, as the cast, crew and some audience members joined in a spontaneous celebration of the moment.
