International Dance Piece PEARL to Launch North American Tour in Montreal

After a successful run at Broadway's Lincoln Center in August 2015, Pearl, the Canadian-American-Chinese dance theatre spectacular, inspired by the life of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Pearl S. Buck, begins its North American tour in Montreal. From June 14 to 18, there will be 5 nightly performances at 8pm in the Sandra and Leo Kolber Centre of the Imperial Theatre, located in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles at 1432 Bleury.

The story, focusing on the substantial influence Pearl had on both Chinese and Western cultures, is brought to life through direction and choreography by Daniel Ezralow (Cirque du Soleil, Love; 2014 Sochi Olympics Games; Broadway's Spider-Man), an original score composed by Jun Miyake (collaborations with Robert Wilson, Pina Bausch, David Byrne and Oliver Stone), dazzling visuals, and a company of 26 Canadian, American and Chinese dancers, including Canada's own international dance icon, Margie Gillis.

Pearl invites audiences to explore one of the most fascinating and emotion-filled stories of the 20th Century. Its messages of hope, strength, and understanding, are told in five symbolic stages: Spring, River, Flower, Moon, and Night, based on the highly revered and influential Chinese poem written centuries ago by Zhang Ruoxu. Five dancers of varying ages portray the five stages of Pearl's life.

Pearl S. Buck's story is a bridge of two cultures and provides an enlightened understanding of East and West. "I am excited to bring the dance play of the life of Pearl S. Buck to life on stage in the beautiful city of Montreal. Her story of crossing the cultures of east and west and humanitarianism is a message to all of us about how to live together in today's world. Montrealers already express this in their multilingual and multi-cultural society. Pearl's message of a society of tolerance and communication is appropriate and poignant and necessary in our daily lives", said Ezralow. Producer, Angela Tang, whose idea it was to use the Chinese poem as the anchor for this work, expounded further with, "Not only is this show a tribute to the life and legacy of Pearl but it breathes renewed spirit into her humanitarian values and creative philosophies. Pearl sought to open people's minds and hearts. This international collaboration, with a team from various backgrounds, is a microcosmic testimony; proof that cultural diversity enriches the exchange of ideas, promotes understanding and unifies. In spite of our different cultural backgrounds, the faith, love and courage of the Pearl team jointly built this beautiful and unique experience that I hope our audiences will enjoy."

The physical appearance of Pearl is prodigious, more of a movie set than a theatrical one, with stunning visuals, richly evocative of Chinese and Western cultures. Dancers perform in and around a flowing river, representing China's renowned Yangtze River; guqin (Chinese lute) strings traverse the stage to suspend dancers in dynamic circus-like choreography; projected visuals, dramatic lighting and sound effects, backed by diverse musical genres, similarly reflect the duality of Pearl's creative influences.

Pearl, produced by Angela Xiaolei Tang, CEO of Legend River Entertainment, features set design by Michael Cotten (Michael Jackson, Bette Midler, Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, Disney's High School Musical, Olympic Games), with video design by Mirada (Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" music video). A special thank you to the China National Arts Fund, Jiangsu Center of Performing Arts and Zhenjiang Media Group.

Montreal tickets, ranging from $50 to $110, plus service charges, go on sale May 20th and are available by phone at 1 888 59 PEARL, online at www.pearltheshow.com and www.tixza.com, or at the Imperial Theatre box office (1432 Bleury) every Saturday between 12 and 5pm beginning May 21st. Discount tickets are available to groups of 12 or more by calling the 1-888 phone number. Doors open at 7pm and show time is 8pm.

Photo by Jim Cox

 

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