在上海迪斯尼 狮子王说起中国方言

SHANGHAI — On Broadway, Timon and PumBAa have entertained audiences for years with their Brooklyn accents.

上海——多年来，丁满(Timon)和彭彭(Pumbaa)在百老汇以布鲁克林口音娱乐观众。

But in China, the famous meerkat-warthog duo not only speak Chinese, but they also do so with a distinct beifang, or northern, twang.

但是在中国，这个著名的猫鼬和疣猪组合不仅说中文，而且带有明显的北方口音。

The rough-around-the-edges Chinese accent is one of several localized elements that infuse a Mandarin-language production of “The Lion King” at the new 1,200-seat Walt Disney Grand Theater. The theater is an anchor of the colossal $5.5 billion Shanghai Disney Resort, which opened on Thursday.

这种稍欠打磨的口音是中文版《狮子王》(The Lion King)的本地化元素之一。该剧在新落成的华特迪士尼大剧院(Walt Disney Grand Theater)上演，剧中还融入了其他本地化元素。新剧院有1200个座位，是投资55亿美元的宏大的上海迪士尼度假区(Shanghai Disney Resort)里的重要景点。该度假区周四开放（6月16日）。

Sitting in the audience at the premiere on Tuesday was a contingent of Disney executives including the chairman and chief executive, Robert A. Iger. Local officials and a sprinkling of celebrities including Yao Ming, the former N.B.A. player, also attended.

周二首演的观众席上坐着迪士尼的几位官员，包括总裁兼首席执行官罗伯特·A·艾格(Robert A. Iger)。当地官员和几位明星也来到现场，包括前NBA球员姚明。

There were other elements added to enhance the show for Shanghai: different regional dialects; riffs on Chinese pop songs; and, for the first time, a new character, the Monkey Master, who is based on the Monkey King, a figure of Chinese legend.

为了增强在上海演出的效果，剧中还加入了其他一些元素：不同的地方口音；中国流行歌曲片段；而且首次加入一个新角色——猴子巫师，他是根据中国神话人物孙悟空创作的。

“The Monkey King is China’s favorite character,” said Julie Taymor, the show’s director, in an interview the day before the premiere. “These little touches of familiarity are absolutely what you have to do. It makes the show recognizable.”

“孙悟空是中国最受欢迎的角色，”该剧导演朱莉·泰莫(Julie Taymor)在首演前一天接受采访中说，“肯定需要加入一些中国观众熟悉的小元素。让观众觉得亲切。”

The character wears a red and yellow Chinese-inspired costume designed by Ms. Taymor. Two feathers protrude from the monkey’s hat like antennae. While Monkey Master doesn’t speak, he bursts in to help fight for Simba, the lion protagonist, in several action scenes.

这个角色穿的是泰莫设计的红黄两色服装，灵感来自中国。两根翎子像触须那样从猴子的帽子上伸出来。虽然猴子巫师没有台词，但他会突然出现在几场打斗戏中，帮助主角辛巴(Simba)。

Since its Broadway debut in 1997, “The Lion King” has been translated into eight languages, including Japanese, Portuguese and Mandarin. In each translation, producers have sought to adapt the script to the local culture while maintaining the spirit of the original. Altogether, “The Lion King” has taken in $7.2 billion from domestic and international productions.

从1997年《狮子王》在百老汇诞生以来，它已被翻译成八种语言，包括日语、葡萄牙语和中文。每个版本的制作人都努力按照当地文化改编剧本，同时保持原剧的精髓。《狮子王》在美国和国际舞台上的票房收入已达72亿美元。

Localizing Broadway’s top-grossing musical has been the focal point for the Shanghai Disney Resort. Disney officials have repeatedly asserted they would create a resort that is both “authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese.”

将这部百老汇票房最高的音乐剧本土化已经成为上海迪士尼度假区的焦点。迪士尼的官员们多次声称，他们将打造一个“原汁原味迪士尼，别具一格中国风”的度假区。

Around the resort, Chinese elements abound. At the Wandering Moon Teahouse, the signature restaurant, for example, visitors can honor the “restless, creative spirit” of Chinese poets. In the Garden of the Twelve Friends, 12 mosaic murals reimagine Disney characters as the signs of the Chinese zodiac.

在度假区各处能看到众多中国元素。比如，在标志性餐厅漫月轩，游客们可以缅怀中国诗人“永无止境的创新精神”。在十二朋友园，十二幅马赛克壁画用迪士尼动画角色重新演绎中国的十二生肖。

Still, the challenge to be “distinctly Chinese” can be difficult to overcome in China, where audiences, especially film audiences, have become adept at sniffing out imported cultural products that plop in so-called “Chinese elements” with little sensitivity.

不过，要实现“别具一格中国风”是个难度很大的挑战。中国的观众，尤其是电影观众，很容易发现进口文化产品中生硬加入的所谓“中国元素”。

Producers of “The Lion King” say they are confident that audiences here will find a seamless integration of Chinese elements into the show.

《狮子王》的制作人们说，他们相信中国观众会发现中国元素与这部作品浑然融为一体。

“‘The Lion King’ is, from conception, a very universal piece, both the story and the physical world of it,” said Felipe Gamba, director of international production and strategy for the Disney Theatrical Group. “It’s an experience that transcends the musical theater genre, which has made it successful in places where musical theater is not a deeply rooted tradition.”

“从设计理念上讲，《狮子王》是一部全球性作品，不管是它的故事情节还是它所呈现的那个世界，”迪士尼戏剧集团(Disney Theatrical Group)的国际制作和战略总监费利佩·甘巴(Felipe Gamba)说，“它带来的体验超越音乐剧的范畴，所以即使在没有深厚音乐剧传统的地方，它也能获得成功。”

Discussion about bringing a Mandarin version of “The Lion King” to China began in 2011, Mr. Gamba said, the same year officials broke ground on the Shanghai resort. The company had decided that it would build a theater as an anchor for Disneytown, the retail and dining area of the complex.

甘巴说，关于推出《狮子王》中文版的讨论始于2011年。同年，上海迪士尼度假区动工。公司决定修建一座剧院，作为购物餐饮区迪士尼小镇(Disneytown)最重要的建筑。

Within the first few hours of the discussion, Mr. Gamba said, it became “quickly obvious” that “The Lion King” would be the choice. It helped that the company had toured an English-language production of the show in Shanghai in 2006 to great success.

甘巴说，在讨论的最初几个小时里，事情“很快”变得“显而易见”：《狮子王》是最佳选择。2006年，英文版《狮子王》在上海巡演，大获成功——这一点也有帮助。

Soon after, Disney began a search in China for performers who could act, sing, dance and, in some cases, operate the animal masks Ms. Taymor designed. Casting, however, proved to be far more difficult in China, where Broadway-style musical theater is still relatively new. The experiences of earlier adaptations of other musicals like “Cats” and “Mamma Mia!” were helpful.

不久之后，迪士尼开始在中国物色会表演、唱歌、跳舞的演员，在某些情况下，他们还要会操纵泰莫设计的动物面具。不过，结果证明，在中国选演员要困难得多。在中国，百老汇风格的音乐剧依然相对较新。之前改编的其他音乐剧有所帮助，比如《猫》(Cats)和《妈妈咪呀!》(Mamma Mia!)。

But Chinese actors are typically affiliated with theater companies and schools, which limits their availability for outside jobs. Disney’s reputation in China as an entertainment company, Mr. Gamba said, didn’t help.

不过，中国演员通常隶属于某个剧团或学校，档期受限，很难接受外面演出的机会。甘巴说，迪士尼在中国作为一家娱乐公司的名气也没有太大帮助。

“A lot of it was about us showing the artistic directors and the actors what a piece of art Julie created,” he said.

“我们的很大一部分工作是给艺术总监和演员们展示朱莉创作的是一部什么样的作品，”他说。

“Like most people in China, I had only watched the movie version of ‘The Lion King’,” said Zhao Lei, 28, who plays Mufasa in the show. “Even as a graduate of the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, I hadn’t seen an original production before I joined the show.”

“和大部分中国人一样，我只看过《狮子王》的电影版，”28岁的赵磊（音译）说。他在剧中饰演木法沙(Mufasa)。“虽然我毕业于上海话剧艺术中心，但在参演该剧之前，我没看过它的原版音乐剧。”

In the end, casting took about two and a half years — more than three times the average, Mr. Gamba said. The cast of more than 50 features mostly mainland Chinese actors and actors from countries including the Philippines and South Africa.

甘巴说，选角最终大概耗费了两年半时间，是一般选角时间的三倍多。这50多名演员大多来自中国大陆，还有一些来自菲律宾和南非等国。

According to Mr. Gamba, decisions about the length of the show’s run and future productions at the theater will depend on how “The Lion King” fares.

甘巴称，该剧会演多久以及剧院未来的演出将取决于《狮子王》的表现如何。

“Right now,” he said, “we’re thinking let’s just get through the opening.”

“目前，”他说，“我们的心思都放在顺利完成首演上。”