by Xinhua writer Zhao Jiasong
LONDON, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- In a London rehearsal room, Chinese musical-theater actress Fiona Zhu donned a long, pale costume reminiscent of traditional Chinese opera, taking on the role of an ancient Chinese woman on stage.
The character is inspired by Zhao Zhuangji, a historical figure later associated with Princess Zhao in "The Orphan of Zhao," one of China's best-known classical dramas.
But Zhu was interested in something beyond the familiar story of sacrifice, loyalty and revenge.
After years of playing different roles, she had noticed that women in historical and theatrical stories were often remembered as wives, mothers or daughters, while less was said about the individuals behind those identities.
Zhao Zhuangji offered one example. Even the name by which she is known today was tied partly to her husband Zhao Shuo and his clan, while her own personal given name was not clearly preserved.
"Then where is her own name?" Zhu recalled wondering.
That question helped inspire "Herstory in History," an original one-woman musical set to make its London debut in August before heading to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The production brings Zhao Zhuangji together with a present-day actress, moving between a historical character and a modern performer trying to understand the different roles she has taken on in her own life.
REVISITING A FAMILIAR CHARACTER
"Herstory in History" does not attempt to retell "The Orphan of Zhao" in full or reconstruct Zhao Zhuangji's life as a historical biography, the production team said.
Instead, the creative team takes the gaps around the character as a starting point: what choices might she have faced, and what might be missed when a person is remembered mainly through a few familiar identities?
Alongside Zhao Zhuangji, Zhu has played versions of herself at different points in her career. She has worked in musical theater for more than a decade, performed and taught in China, and came to Britain in 2025 to study at the Guildford School of Acting.
The musical draws on that experience of moving between roles, including performer, teacher, student and now creator.
Zhu said the two women's lives are not meant to be directly compared. The connection lies instead in the experience of taking on identities shaped partly by circumstances and partly by the expectations of others.
Co-director and co-writer Zhang Keyuan said the production is not simply a new version of an old Chinese story, but an attempt to look more closely at the person behind a familiar character.
BETWEEN TWO MUSICAL LANGUAGES
The same idea of moving between different worlds also shapes the music.
German composer Johannes Grosz said his writing is rooted mainly in Western musical traditions. For the production, he worked with the Chinese team to bring traditional Chinese instruments and musical ideas into a chamber score.
One passage uses vocal phrasing inspired by China's Kunqu Opera, while Zhu also consulted performers trained in traditional Chinese opera on singing, costume and movement.
"There is no question of which one is better," Zhu said of the two musical traditions. "If you can bring them together well, it can become something very interesting."
The production is performed in Chinese with English captions.
Zhang said staging a Chinese story in Britain also made the team think about how Asian stories are sometimes viewed overseas. He said such perceptions can at times be shaped by an "Orientalist" imagination, reducing Asian cultures to familiar or exoticized images.
Rather than adapting the work to fit those expectations, the team wanted to start from its own cultural and theatrical experience.
"If it comes from Chinese tradition, why must I use another language to tell it?" Zhu said.
Nicholas Scrivens, Programme Leader of Master of Arts Musical Theatre at the Guildford School of Acting, said an early rehearsal showed how the production connected a performer's personal journey with wider questions about women's roles.
"I was lucky enough to catch an early sneak preview in rehearsals, and I was captivated," Scrivens said.
STARTING SMALL
The project comes as China's musical theater market has expanded rapidly in recent years, creating more opportunities for performers and helping a new generation of musical theater actors and creators emerge.
In 2025, nearly 19,700 musical performances were staged across China, attracting about 8.19 million theatergoers, according to the 2025 Musical Theatre Market Report.
For the team, that growth also creates more possibilities for Chinese musical theater artists to engage with audiences overseas.
Kristy Xueming Wang, the production's associate producer and stage manager, said Britain's smaller-scale theaters and festivals offer an open environment for experimental productions and artists from different backgrounds.
"I hope audiences can see not only a Chinese story, but also how Chinese performers and creators are telling that story today," Wang said.
She said taking a Chinese-language musical overseas allows the team to learn how audiences from different cultural backgrounds respond to the work, while also sharing the development of contemporary Chinese musical theater.
Zhu described "Herstory in History" as a "seed," saying the team will continue developing it in China after its performances in Britain.
For her, the production is one small attempt to bring Chinese stories and creative approaches into more direct exchange with audiences and theater-makers overseas.
