This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Italy. The Italian musical "The Divine Comedy", adapted from the renowned epic masterpiece written by Italian poet Dante Alighieri, is set to launch its first-ever tour with 57 performances in 15 Chinese cities.

The Italian musical, produced by Italian company MIC, exclusively introduced by We Opera Studio Holding Limited and produced by the China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) in collaboration with Poly Culture Group Corporation, will land in Beijing's Century Theater from July 31 to Aug 3.

The Italian musical held a press conference about its national tour in Beijing on April 21. Together with Italian performers, famous Chinese children's chorus WeDo gave their shows of musical segments from the newly-adapted work and well-known Chinese songs titled "Jasmine Flower" and "The Gifts the World Bestowed Upon Me" in both Chinese and Italian languages.

Inundated with audiences in Italy

Dante's The Divine Comedy, which heralded the Renaissance in Europe about 700 years ago, is considered a quintessential work of global literature. The adapted opera work is the first-ever one with musical interpretation and it has won the gold medal of the Dante Alighieri and Persephone Award twice. During its shows in Italy, it was hard for local audiences to get a ticket.

The newest version of the musical work, which consists of three chapters known as inferno, purgatory and paradise, has incorporated rock, popular and opera musics to reconstruct Dante's philosophical world with rich musical language. The musical show has drawn the participation of eight famous Italian singers, 14 dancers and acrobats, utilized over 200 sets of stage costumes, created over 70 three-dimensional scenarios with latest lighting effects and projection technology, and combined with original music from prestigious composer Marco Frisina to provide the audiences with an immersive experience of Dante's spiritual odyssey.

According to Andrea Ortis, director of the musical, the opera work has given a perfect interpretation of the classical world masterpiece with outstanding music, dance and modern digital technology, and allowed all audiences to understand and appreciate the literary work in a theatrical journey that features music and technology.

"China and Italy have achieved fruitful results in their bilateral cooperation since the establishment of strategic partnership about two decades ago. I hope that the two sides will further deepen their partnership, convey due admiration for their profound historical ties, and work together to build a peaceful, prosperous and development-oriented future", said Deputy Italian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in a video message to the press conference. He added that the musical work's Chinese tour has underscored the love of Italian language and culture from the Chinese people, wishing enduring friendship between the two states.

Guo Liqun, council member, general-manager and deputy Party secretary of the CAEG, said that the company has promoted the musical's tour in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and implemented the strategic layout featuring synergy across the Greater Bay Area and last stop in Hong Kong in a drive to forge new momentum for the Greater Bay Area toward further enhancing its soft cultural power, promote cultural collaborative development, and build the region into a dialogue between China and the rest world.

Qu Hongyan, deputy general-manager of Beijing Poly Theatre Management Co., Ltd, said that the musical work was expected to further promote in-depth cooperation between China and Italy in the fields of performing arts and creative industries and inject new cultural energy into the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Joint performance by Chinese and Italian actors

The cast included eight renowned Italian performers and leading Chinese children's chorus WeDo, who jointly gave their shows of musical segments from the musical work and well-known Chinese songs titled "Jasmine Flower" and "The Gifts the World Bestowed Upon Me" in both Chinese and Italian languages and received thunderous applause from the audience.

Not long ago, the musical work appeared in the Beauty of Shared Arts, an international cultural exchange program produced by China Media Group (CMG) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, scoring record-high viewership for the program. Gabriele Gravina, the musical's main producer, president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and vice-president of the Union of European Football Associations, said that the reasons for the introduction of the adapted opera work into China are not only for its artistic value but also because as a cultural element, the musical plays have carried important value in promoting cultural exchanges between different races.

In 2025, the Divine Comedy Musical will tour Chongqing, Changsha, Wuxi, Nanjing, Nanchang, Wuhan, Chengdu, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai and Hong Kong respectively.