As the year draws to a close, musical lovers in Shanghai  enjoyed  the iconic Broadway show that a generation in the West grew up on, “West Side Story.” 

临近岁末，身处上海的音乐剧迷们又享受到了一场原汁原味的百老汇经典巨制，今年的“年末大戏”是讲述了纽约西区一代人的成长史的《西区故事》。

Dubbed “a splendid and super-modern musical drama,” it is a timeless show which marked a turning point in American musical theater with its dark themes, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes and its sharp focus on social problems. 

被称为“辉煌壮丽、超现代音乐剧巨制”的《西区故事》，凭借其阴暗的主题、复杂的音乐、绚丽的舞蹈场面和对针对社会问题的深刻反映，给观众带来历久弥新的艺术享受，在美国音乐剧历史上具有里程碑式的意义。

Set in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York in the mid-1950s, “West Side Story” focuses on the rivalry between two gangs named the Sharks and the Jets and the destruction that results from their rivalry and fighting. 

该剧的背景设置为上世纪50年代中期的纽约上西区，讲述了两个帮派：“鲨鱼”和“火箭”之间的斗争，故事最终以两败俱伤的结局收场。

At the same time it tells the love story between Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang’s leader, and Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks. It is, essentially, a 1950s New York version of “Romeo and Juliet.”

与此同时，电影还讲述了一段爱情故事——“火箭”前成员及头目的好友托尼，与“鲨鱼”头目的妹妹玛利亚相爱。因此，该部影片也能被视作20世纪50年代纽约版的《罗密欧与朱丽叶》。

The music came from Leonard Bernstein and features classics such as “Something’s Coming,” “Maria,” “Jet Song” and “I Feel Pretty.”

该剧的音乐由著名音乐家伯恩斯坦创作，令人耳熟能详的音乐片段有“Something’s Coming”，“Maria”，“Jet Song”和“I Feel Pretty”等。

This was the first time that “West Side Story” had appeared  in Shanghai. To be followed, another tow blockbusters, “Legally Blonde” and “Mozart-L'opera Rock”, will be staged on Shanghai Culture Square respectively in December and January.

这是《西区故事》首次来沪巡演。紧接着，还有几部重量级音乐剧也将陆续登上上海文化广场的舞台——12月的《律政俏佳人 》和明年1月的《摇滚莫扎特》。

The “Big-Four” Musicals

“四大音乐剧”

The “Big-Four” musicals include "The Phantom of the Opera", "Cats", "Les Misérables" and "Miss Saigon". All of them were produced by the renowned producer, Cameron Mackintosh, and through his production and revival, these musicals received wide popularity throughout both West End, London and Broadway, New York.

“四大音乐剧”指的是《歌剧魅影》《猫》《悲惨世界》和《西贡小姐》。这四部音乐剧都是由著名的音乐剧制作人卡梅伦•麦金托什进行制作和重制，并在伦敦西区和纽约百老汇取得了现象级的成功。

"The Phantom of the Opera" is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. Based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux, its central plot revolves around a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Opera Populaire.

《歌剧魅影》是由安德鲁•劳埃德•韦伯作曲、查尔斯•哈特和理查德•斯蒂尔戈作词的音乐剧。该剧根据法国小说家加斯东•勒鲁的同名小说改编而来，讲述了美貌的女高音克里斯汀与居于剧院地下迷宫神秘多端、脸部畸形的“幽灵”相爱的故事 。

"Les Misérables" is a sung-through musical based on the novel Les Misérables by French poet and novelist Victor Hugo. The original French edition was not a highly successful one. Yet after Mackintosh re-produced in London, it began to collect world-wide attention. The London production has run continuously since October 1985, making it the longest-running musical in the West End and the second longest-running musical in the world.

《悲惨世界》根据法国大文豪雨果的同名小说改编而来，是一部全部以歌曲为载体的音乐剧。起初，法语原版的音乐剧并未获得成功，麦金托什在伦敦重制了该剧，并在世界范围能逐渐获得关注。伦敦版从1985年10月演出至今，现已成为伦敦西区史上最长寿的音乐剧，也是全球连演第二长的音乐剧。

"Miss Saigon" is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg  and Alain Boublil. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly", and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. The setting of the plot is relocated to 1970s Saigon during the Vietnam War.

《西贡小姐》是由普契尼的经典歌剧《蝴蝶夫人》改编而来，勋伯格和布比尔作曲。该剧讲述了一名亚洲女子遭到美国情人抛弃的悲惨爱情故事。故事的背景则发生在上世纪七十年代越南战争时期的西贡。