Cāi Cāi

Chapter 21: Act IV "Out of My World" (1)

Xiang Cai became excited but his enthusiasm quickly faded after a few seconds.

He said tiredly, "What's choosing a male lead for Out of My World got to do with us? The male lead should only be 11 years old. Even if they choose an actor from our school, they'll have to choose one from the freshmen classes."

He had watched this Out of My World many times, and not only could he recite the plot, but he could also sing a few of their classic songs.

The young Billy in the play, first time rebelled against his father, first time put on ballet shoes and first time, held the bar to do the battlement ... His vision, longing, anxiety, and pursuit of ballet and mental journey were all as intense and as passionate as Xiang Cai's.

Xiang Cai also imagined that he could play the leading role, combining what he loved with what he was learning now — but he was 17 years old, a full six years older than the character in the play, there was no possibility at all.

However, he thought, if time went back to five or six years ago, and someone put this great opportunity in front of the 11/12-year-old him, he would certainly dismiss it, thinking that participating in a musical was a waste of his ballet practice time.

As soon as Chen Ziran, who was sitting behind them, heard what Xiang Cai said, he immediately rushed forward.

He grabbed Xiang Cai's shoulder from the back and eagerly said: "No, no, no, no! This time, it's not the original drama remake, but they're giving it major 'surgery'! The director wants to move the whole story background to China!! The changes are very big, from the great miners' strike in the United Kingdom in the 1980s to the layoffs in China in the 1990s; in the play, the older brother becomes an older sister; the age of the actor is also adjusted—" Chen Ziran's voice was getting louder and louder, and the speed of his speech was getting faster "—The actor is changed to 15 years old!!! Xiang Cai, you have hope!!!"

When foreign musicals and dramas are introduced into the country, it was not uncommon for them to undergo 'major surgery'. In order to better fit the appreciation of domestic audiences, some changes were thus unavoidable.

In addition, the domestic musicals lacked the European and American countries' 'training from childhood' musical theatre cultivation. There were those children who could act, there are those children who could sing, and those children who could dance, but to find those children who could do the combination of the three - that was very difficult .

In the end, the director and chief producer decided to modify the age of the male lead, changing him from an 11-year-old boy to a 15-year-old boy.

15 years old was the age when children were most rebellious. High school students of this age were facing severe academic challenges, and words like 'life' and 'future' were gradually appearing in their thinking. At this age, they were also the most likely to conflict with their parents.

The producer had a wide network in the musical theatre industry. While adapting the script, he contacted the principals of many dance schools in Huacheng, Shanghai, and Liaocheng, and brought other main actors to cast roles.

Chen Ziran was well-informed and had friends all over the world. He heard from friends who he studied Latin dance together with the main creators of Out of My World, they had gone to several schools. The other seven or eight characters had been selected, but there was not yet an end result for the protagonist.

Huawu High School was their last stop.

"Xiang Cai, this role is just for you!" Qi Ji was excited, her cheeks flushed, "You have to sing, perform, and dance ballet ... If you don't get chosen for this role, then other people can't be selected!"