Out of this world: Hong Kong’s young musical talent hits the big stage in new production Melodia
The Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation show grew from a couple of songs into a musical after founder Lindsey McAlister met two composers with Cirque du Soleil credits; now the show is set to open at Queen Elizabeth Stadium
The story of Melodia, a new musical by the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (YAF), began when composer musicians Violaine Corradi and Rose Winebrenner – best known for their work with Cirque du Soleil – met YAF founder Lindsey McAlister in 2015 and realised they all had a similar project in mind: a family show that highlights how artists can make a positive difference to a wider world.
And bloom it did. What started out as some songs Corradi and Winebrenner had written together soon developed into a story. McAlister subsequently took over as the main lyricist.
The original production now boasts a cast of 100, which includes a few adults but is mostly drawn from more than 30 Hong Kong schools. Some sections of the show are also tailored to the special talents of cast members, including aerialist Joe Lam, and a family of acrobats comprising Corina Sucre, Daniel Sierralta, and their daughter Ainara Mireya Sierralta Sucre.
Given the YAF is a major proponent of multiculturalism in this city, Melodia includes performers of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Russian, Slovakian, Italian, Turkish, British, Australian and Filipino ethnicity. Appropriately, ethnic harmony is one of the production’s themes.
“There’s a giant puppet, there’s live drumming – so we’ve been teaching the kids percussion – dance, projection, acrobatics, and aerial arts. It’s very much a theatrical experience. It is a musical, that’s what we created. But it has gone beyond that now,” says McAlister.