Chen Shanglan was the fifth to take the stage last Monday afternoon. Dressed in an army green T-shirt and black gym pants, she performed a short aerobic piece she choreographed herself to dynamic music.
Then, upon the request of the jury, the 24-year-old introduced herself in English and displayed some typical feline movements.
Chen is one of the 24 applicants auditioning for Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats, which is coming to Beijing this month.
As in many other cities, the hit musical will recruit some local "cats" to breathe fresh air into the production as well as to bring it closer to local audiences.
Although only 10 local cats are required to join in a few choruses, more than 500 people from across the country have applied to audition, according to China Performing Arts Agency (CPAA), the promoter of the Cats Beijing tour.
CPAA selected 24 hopefuls and invited a jury of musical experts and professionals to give the first-round audition. Later this week, 10 of them will be chosen to be the local "cats."
Chen was the only applicant who had received no formal singing or dance training, but she said she was not afraid of competing with others and was not overly concerned about the result.
"My colleagues saw the notice in the newspaper a month ago. The requirement is the ability to sing, dance and speak a little English. They thought I am qualified and encouraged me to apply. And so I came," she said.
A graduate of the English Department of Beijing Language and Cultural University two years ago, Chen speaks fluent English. She was the only English-speaking applicant at the audition.
"It's interesting to take part in an audition and I just came for fun," she said.
"Actually, I have no clear idea what kind of person they need and I just bought a DVD of the musical to imitate some movements of the cat. If I succeed, it's an opportunity to get close to well-known artists and at least I could get a free ticket. If not, I won't be all that sorry."
Liu Yongxia's attitude was different from Chen's. The 25-year-old Liu was deeply dissatisfied with her own performance. One of the first students majoring in musicals at the Beijing Academy of Dance, she set high standards for herself.
"I was a little nervous and forgot some choreography that I had prepared carefully," she said.
But Liu's singing impressed the jury, although singing is not the main task of the local "cats."
Dancers from the Beijing Guolun Xinxing Arts Center performed the entire "Jellicle Songs of Jellicle Cats," one of the popular tunes from the musical.
Established in 1998, Guolun Xinxing Arts Center is one of the few Chinese ensembles mainly working in musicals.
They have performed Beauty and the Beast and Cats in Japan and China. Later this month they will perform a new production, Passionate Night, in Beijing. The show features some scenes from Cats.
"It's natural for us to come to the audition and it's a great opportunity to experience the real Cats if we are selected," said Li Xionghui, a member of Guolun, who is also a researcher in the Music Department of the Central Academy of Drama.
"We have received training with Japanese Four Season Musical Troupe and some Broadway directors and choreographers, so I think we have a good chance of being selected," he said.
Most of the applicants were confident, but the jury did not find their ideal "cats."
"Most applicants were not as cute and intimate as we expected. Guolun's 'cats' were better than others but not that good, although they have already performed the musical themselves," said Zhou Zhiqiang, director of the Art Office of the National Grand Theatre.
The jury thought that the applicants did not quite capture the characteristics or personalities of cats.
"I could see that most of them studied the video of Cats, but they just copied the superficial movements or gestures of the cats," said Mu Yu, a musicals expert from China Academy of Arts.
"They are good dancers or singers, but not lovely 'cats.' As they perform, you feel far away from them. They fail to touch you," said Zi Juan, a professor from the Musical Department at the Beijing Academy of Dance.
The regular staff reinforced the Chinese jury's comments last Wednesday morning when they paid an advance visit to Beijing to promote the show.
Jo-anne Robinson, director and choreographer of Cats, told China Daily that they look at personality when making their choice. All the cats have to move properly, be able to play like a cat and sing in English in chorus. But most importantly, they should have individuality. Being a talented dancer or singer is not enough.
Robinson has worked for Cats for 23 years, since she served as assistant to the original director Andrew Lloyd Webber for the premiere in London in 1981.
Music supervisor Fiz Shapur said that the show would like to find some "cats" who could do stunts such as acrobatics.
He said this is a great opportunity to utilize unique Chinese skills in the show, making it a cross-cultural experience for both the troupe and the local performers.
However, it seems that there were some communication problems, as the Chinese promoters did not seek any acrobats to audition.
Robinson said the Chinese performers will have to work very hard so that they will look the same as the professional "cats." She knows that the local hopefuls are in pretty good physical condition and possess excellent techniques; now the judges must select those whose minds, as well as their bodies, can move like a cat's.
(China Daily April 12, 2004)
