I usually detest musicals...

... but today I enjoyed the strangely titled "The camels and the bell." It's a romantic and tragic story of two men who leave China to travel the silk road to Europe to sell silk and bring back other things. There is lots of drama en route: floods, volcanoes, sand storms, and worst of all, an attack by wolves. The wolves kill one of the two men. His friends offer of steamed bread couldn't save him. (At least that's what the subtitles said). The other returns home to a grand wedding.

The whole thing is an extraordinary experience. The theatre is huge with about 3000 seats. The entire seating rotates to show 6 different stages. Actors fly in and out. Video and laser effects, and then real water for a big waterfall. Of course, the camels and wolves are real. The cast is 100 or more.

There are 4 or 5 shows a day, sold out, and about 80,000 per week. Truly Chinese scale.

It's all a bit weird, but a genuine experience of modern China. Not bad at all. Do it if you can, you won't forget it. The music is cheesy, and the story is basic, but it's not about that.

FYI, the last musical I enjoyed was "The King and I," which I saw in London as a schoolboy in 1973. The film of that is not bad either.Read more