在上海迪斯尼 獅子王說起中國方言

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

上海——多年來，丁滿(Timon)和彭彭(Pumbaa)在百老匯以布魯克林口音娛樂觀衆。

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

但是在中國，這個著名的貓鼬和疣豬組合不僅說中文，而且帶有明顯的北方口音。

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.

這種稍欠打磨的口音是中文版《獅子王》(The Lion King)的本地化元素之一。該劇在新落成的華特迪士尼大劇院(Walt Disney Grand Theater)上演，劇中還融入了其他本地化元素。新劇院有1200個座位，是投資55億美元的宏大的上海迪士尼度假區(Shanghai Disney Resort)裏的重要景點。該度假區週四開放（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.

週二首演的觀衆席上坐着迪士尼的幾位官員，包括總裁兼首席執行官羅伯特·A·艾格(Robert A. Iger)。當地官員和幾位明星也來到現場，包括前NBA球員姚明。

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.

爲了增強在上海演出的效果，劇中還加入了其他一些元素：不同的地方口音；中國流行歌曲片段；而且首次加入一個新角色——猴子巫師，他是根據中國神話人物孫悟空創作的。

“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.”

“孫悟空是中國最受歡迎的角色，”該劇導演朱莉·泰莫(Julie Taymor)在首演前一天接受採訪中說，“肯定需要加入一些中國觀衆熟悉的小元素。讓觀衆覺得親切。”

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.

這個角色穿的是泰莫設計的紅黃兩色服裝，靈感來自中國。兩根翎子像觸鬚那樣從猴子的帽子上伸出來。雖然猴子巫師沒有臺詞，但他會突然出現在幾場打鬥戲中，幫助主角辛巴(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.

從1997年《獅子王》在百老匯誕生以來，它已被翻譯成八種語言，包括日語、葡萄牙語和中文。每個版本的製作人都努力按照當地文化改編劇本，同時保持原劇的精髓。《獅子王》在美國和國際舞臺上的票房收入已達72億美元。

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.”

將這部百老匯票房最高的音樂劇本土化已經成爲上海迪士尼度假區的焦點。迪士尼的官員們多次聲稱，他們將打造一個“原汁原味迪士尼，別具一格中國風”的度假區。

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.

在度假區各處能看到衆多中國元素。比如，在標誌性餐廳漫月軒，遊客們可以緬懷中國詩人“永無止境的創新精神”。在十二朋友園，十二幅馬賽克壁畫用迪士尼動畫角色重新演繹中國的十二生肖。

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.

不過，要實現“別具一格中國風”是個難度很大的挑戰。中國的觀衆，尤其是電影觀衆，很容易發現進口文化產品中生硬加入的所謂“中國元素”。

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

《獅子王》的製作人們說，他們相信中國觀衆會發現中國元素與這部作品渾然融爲一體。

“‘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.”

“從設計理念上講，《獅子王》是一部全球性作品，不管是它的故事情節還是它所呈現的那個世界，”迪士尼戲劇集團(Disney Theatrical Group)的國際製作和戰略總監費利佩·甘巴(Felipe Gamba)說，“它帶來的體驗超越音樂劇的範疇，所以即使在沒有深厚音樂劇傳統的地方，它也能獲得成功。”

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.

甘巴說，關於推出《獅子王》中文版的討論始於2011年。同年，上海迪士尼度假區動工。公司決定修建一座劇院，作爲購物餐飲區迪士尼小鎮(Disneytown)最重要的建築。

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.

甘巴說，在討論的最初幾個小時裏，事情“很快”變得“顯而易見”：《獅子王》是最佳選擇。2006年，英文版《獅子王》在上海巡演，大獲成功——這一點也有幫助。

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.

不久之後，迪士尼開始在中國物色會表演、唱歌、跳舞的演員，在某些情況下，他們還要會操縱泰莫設計的動物面具。不過，結果證明，在中國選演員要困難得多。在中國，百老匯風格的音樂劇依然相對較新。之前改編的其他音樂劇有所幫助，比如《貓》(Cats)和《媽媽咪呀!》(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.

不過，中國演員通常隸屬於某個劇團或學校，檔期受限，很難接受外面演出的機會。甘巴說，迪士尼在中國作爲一家娛樂公司的名氣也沒有太大幫助。

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

“我們的很大一部分工作是給藝術總監和演員們展示朱莉創作的是一部什麼樣的作品，”他說。

“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.”

“和大部分中國人一樣，我只看過《獅子王》的電影版，”28歲的趙磊（音譯）說。他在劇中飾演木法沙(Mufasa)。“雖然我畢業於上海話劇藝術中心，但在參演該劇之前，我沒看過它的原版音樂劇。”

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.

甘巴說，選角最終大概耗費了兩年半時間，是一般選角時間的三倍多。這50多名演員大多來自中國大陸，還有一些來自菲律賓和南非等國。

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.

甘巴稱，該劇會演多久以及劇院未來的演出將取決於《獅子王》的表現如何。

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

“目前，”他說，“我們的心思都放在順利完成首演上。”