Golden Lotus (musical)

Golden Lotus is a musical written and composed by George Chiang. The musical is based on the classic 17th century Chinese novel Jin Ping Mei (The Golden Lotus). Set amidst the dying, war-torn years of Song Dynasty China, the musical tells the story of the beautiful Golden Lotus (Pan Jinlian) whose desire for true love leads her into a blood-soaked web of passion, deception and desperation with the valiant tiger slayer Wu Sung, the rich and powerful Xi Men (Ximen Qing) and the humble peddler Wu Da (Wu Dalang). Betwixt a story of political satire, a doomed love story, and an epic tale of heroism, therein lies also a story of a woman's transformation and her eventual path to redemption.

Development
Golden Lotus was the first Canadian musical to participate in the prestigious ASCAP Foundation/Disney Theatrical Productions Musical Theatre Workshop in New York City during March and April 2003, with artistic direction by Stephen Schwartz. The three-week workshop included two live performances by a cast of sixteen performers which included Harriet Chung as Golden Lotus, and Scott Watanabe (who also served as the music director) as the District Intendant. Subsequently the musical was presented to a series of focus groups which led to further revisions. This was followed by a year-long workshop led by Jim Betts with Script Lab's workshop in Toronto, modeled after the prestigious BMI's Lehman Engels Musical Theater workshop in New York. Following the workshop, Betts worked directly with Chiang for several months on the musical as its dramaturge.

Hong Kong World Premiere
On September 12, 2014, Golden Lotus premiered in Hong Kong at the Y-Theatre with a cast of twenty-six performers. The production featured Harriet Chung as the title character, Boon Ho Sung as Wu Sung, and Ronan Pak Kin Yan as Ximen. Also featured were Billy Sy as Wu Da, Samantha Fa as Madam Wang, Scott Watanabe as the District Intendant, Marc Ngan as the Fruit Peddler, and Soraya Chau as Ping. Emily Chan directed the production, with music arrangements by George Gao, choreography by Ivy Chung, and set & costume design by Moe Mo.

The production was embraced by the Hong Kong theater community and enthusiastically hailed Golden Lotus as "Hong Kong's First Musical." The musical's innovative approach and captivating performances left a lasting impression on theater enthusiasts and received accolades from critics. The musical's score, blending pop rock and Chinese music traditions, received unanimous praise from Hong Kong critics. Its signature pop love song, "A World Away," was particularly applauded.

The production was recognized with three Hong Kong English Drama Award nominations for Best Show, Best Actress [ Harriet Chung] and won Best Original Work.

Musical film
The Hong Kong production of Golden Lotus was captured live during four consecutive performances and later edited into a feature-length film showcased at film festivals during 2021-2023. The musical film won over 60 awards across multiple categories, including Best Picture of the Festival at the 2023 World Independent Cinema Awards (WICA). The achievement crowned the musical film as the “champion of champions” among the winners of Film Fest International’s 11 annual festivals across cities including London, Edinburgh, Canterbury, Broadstairs, Nice, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Antwerp, Birmingham, and Rome. Golden Lotus was selected as the standout film of the year and named the best film from all 11 festivals.

On May 1, 2024, Golden Lotus began streaming on the Stratford Festival's digital platform Stratfest@Home. Chiang called the deal a "proper alignment" with Straftest@Home due to their commitment to showcasing world-class theater.

Albums
Golden Lotus: Sounds From The Musical was released on May 31, 2015. It is a CD consisting of 15 songs from the musical as they appeared in the Hong Kong world premiere. Recorded in Toronto with Harriet Chung as Golden Lotus, Charles Azulay as Wu Sung, Thom Allison as Xi Men, George Chiang as Wu Da, Stacey-Lea Marhue as Madam Wang, Scott Watanabe as the District Intendant, Pierre Bayuga as the Fruit Peddler and Josette Jorge as Ping. Music directed by Tim Stiff. Vocal arrangements by Tim Stiff. Music arrangements by George Gao.

Golden Lotus: Sounds From The Musical (Deluxe Edition) was released on December 1, 2023 and features 4 additional tracks from the musical including When I Close My Eyes, Verdant Spring Bordello, Little Brother Mandarin (Reprise) and Lord of the Five Ways.

Singles
A single of the signature pop ballad from Golden Lotus, "A World Away", was recorded by Harriet Chung. The song was newly arranged by Warren Robert, who also conducted the live orchestra for the recording. The single and its music video were dropped on August 25, 2020 as A World Away (Remix). The single won Best Original Song at the Hollywood Gold Awards.

Harriet Chung recorded a solo version and music video of the signature duet from Golden Lotus, "As Each Day Goes By" on October 6, 2023. Critics applauded the single. Tinnitist called it "as smooth and beautiful as a full moon surrounded by stars, with an emotional vocal harmony draped like curtains across the sky at night." . Radio Airplay called it "a delicate tapestry of musical finesse, weaves together beautiful vocals, sweeping strings, and the ethereal embrace of delicate harp and woodwind elements. It is an auditory oasis that transcends the ordinary, inviting listeners into a world of serene beauty and graceful artistry, and thanks to the thoroughly amiable and deeply sincere nature of Harriet's spellbinding vocal presence, you simply cannot help but be swept up off your feet mere moments into the track, resulting in yet another dazzling creative display." The single and its music video won Best Original Song and Best Music Video at the International Gold Awards.