Review: TIANANMEN: A NEW MUSICAL at The Phoenix Theatre Company

Stuart Franklin’s photo image of a lone man confronting a column of tanks on Chang’an Avenue in Beijing is an ever-present reminder of the irrepressible desire of humankind for freedom.

That moment on June 5th, 1989 was the culmination of weeks of student protests for political and economic reform. It was an act of defiance, one day after the Chinese government’s two-day crackdown on Tiananmen Square that resulted in, at a minimum, 10,000 deaths and the maiming of scores of wounded students.

Today, thirty-four years after the massacre, Tiananmen is a banned subject in China. However, on the stage of The Phoenix Theatre Company, in the form of an eponymous musical, it signifies an act of remembrance of the spirited cries for freedom. (The concept for the musical originated with Wu'er Kaixi, one of the student protest leaders, and was developed into the book by Scott Elemgreen with music and lyrics by Drew Fornarola.) 

The production of TIANANMEN: A NEW MUSICAL has been preceded by some pretty exceptional marketing, proclaiming the show, for example, as an “epic love story” and emphasizing the historic importance of the surrounding events. The problem is that the show just doesn’t measure up to the hype and buildup.

TIANANMEN seems stuck between two intentions, neither one of which is well-fulfilled. If it is meant to be the vibrant love story of two fictional characters, Sheng Peiwen and Fan Xiaoli, with the student protests as a backdrop, the arc of that affair lacks authenticity and credibility. If its aim is to be a vivid account of the student struggle, it lapses into the kind of tutorial preachiness that has become all too familiar with political theatre. The noble effort to remember Tiananmen would be all the better with a compelling and consistent story line that trusted the audience to draw their own conclusions.

TIANANMEN, directed by Darren Lee and featuring an Asian-American and Pacific Islander cast, follows a formula that has been at the root of a number of Broadway hits. Take a historic event (let’s say the founding of a nation (Hamilton), the 1832 June Rebellion (Les Miserables), or Vietnam (Miss Saigon) ~ mix in a few emotionally rousing songs, including a bit of hip hop, and some fist-pumping choreography ~ and stamp it with a theme that resonates with audience values (liberty, fraternity, equality, love). TIANAMEN’s take on the formula lacks the originality, richness, and oomph that would elevate it to a hit. 

The story opens with the arrival, years later, of Fan Xiaoli’s sister, Fan Xiaoxia, at the scene of the protests. Recounting the days of Tiananmen, she has brought a candle for a vigil of remembrance. The quiet square becomes the stage for two parallel scenarios ~ the vehemence of the protesters for recognition of their demands in contrast to cutout scenes of Chinese Communist Party leaders ~ Li Peng, the hard-line Premier, and the more moderate Zhao Ziyang, the Party’s General Secretary ~ debating how best to manage the protests. As things escalate, Peiwen and XiaoLi see each other intermittently until love goes full bloom only to fade into unspeakable tragedy. At play’s end, Xiaoxia’s flame is extinguished, an ominous confirmation, for the time being, of Deng Xiaoping’s earlier declaration that “People will forget what we did here.” The Phoenix Theatre Company has done what it can to ensure the contrary.

TIANANMEN runs through October 29th in The Phoenix Theatre Company’s Mainstage Theatre. (Run time: 2 hours, 25 minutes, including 15-minute intermission)

The Phoenix Theatre Company ~ www.phoenixtheatre.com ~ 1825 N Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ ~ Box office: 602-254-2151

Photo credit to Brennen Russell at Blink Sessions: L to R ~ Kennedy Kanagawa as Sheng Peiwen, Ellie Wang as Fan Xiaoli

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