談音樂：香港能發展出像百老滙的音樂劇產業嗎? (下)｜岑偉宗 On Music - Could Hong Kong Develop a Musical Industry Like Broadway? (Part 2) (by Chris Shum)
撰文：岑偉宗 By: Chris Shum
岑偉宗。香港作詞人。詞作多見於音樂劇及舞台劇，亦散見於電影、電視及流行曲。
Chris Shum is a celebrated lyricist with work spanning musicals, plays, movies, television dramas and pop music.
2016年隨演戲家族到美國考察音樂劇。 發現美國的音樂劇圈有個由「票友」、 「學校」、「社區或地區劇場」及「專 業劇院」組成的循環網絡，音樂劇愛好者在這幾個領域裏，層層培育，甚至以各種「身分」參與其中。地方小鎮的中學生表演出色，興高采烈的到大城市參加演出，最後夢想就是攻堅百老匯的專業遴選。這些層級也形成了「專業水平 的指標」， 是觀眾及從業者的參考。
香港有沒有這個循環網絡？似乎有，但界線比較模糊。即使幾個資源充裕的專業大團，很多時候作品的水準都時有起落。但這都是正常現象吧？我也在百老匯的劇院看過很爛的音樂劇。園丁栽種，講究水土和氣候，所謂一方水土養一方人，所以，紐約「百老匯」只能是參考，不宜也不能複製。
我想，在香港的情況，「專業」二字用 來形容製作資源多寡，可作參照，亦僅此而已。因為專業的劇團可以保障製作條件。製作條件可保障演出順利推出， 卻未必可以長做長有，觀眾也許看 了一次就興趣索然。建立長做長有 的「產業」，始終離不開作品。
如果這樣問— 有劇院真的可以長演，哪類作品可以長演？有甚麼條件可以成就長演作品？長演同時又具永恒價值的，又是什麼作品。由名宿Stephen Sondheim到近年大熱的《Hamilton》，百老匯最可借鑑的就是好作品不能急就章。慶幸的是，香港近年開始有機構重視培育作品，願意花以年計的時間醞釀，安排試讀、預演。觀眾由不解到理解這種形式與過程，可喜可賀。期望香港的音樂劇在這個氣氛之下，逐步前進，欣欣向榮。畢竟，論粵語音樂劇，全球唯有香港矣。
In 2016, I followed Actors’ Family to the U.S. to observe musical theatre. I discovered that musical theatre companies have a cyclical network made up of ‘ticket friends’, ‘schools’, ‘community or local companies’, and ‘professional theatres’. Musical lovers develop stage-by-stage, or even participate through different ‘identities’. High schoolers in rural towns do stellar performances, and head to the big city in high spirits to participate in performances. Their dream is to make it through a professional audition on Broadway. These levels form 'the benchmark for a professional standard’, a reference for audience members and industry professionals.
Does Hong Kong have such a cyclical network? It seems the answer is yes, but the boundaries are a little hazy. Even several professional companies with a lot of resources produce performances of inconsistent quality. But this is normal, right? I have also seen subpar performances at Broadway theatres. Gardeners plant based on the soil and the climate; different conditions produce different plants. Naturally, ‘Broadway’, New York, can only be a reference, and shouldn’t, can’t, be reproduced.
I think, in the case of Hong Kong, the word ‘professional' should be used to describe the wealth or scarcity of resources, solely as a reference, because professional companies can guarantee the conditions of the production. Production conditions can guarantee the performance can successfully be released, but it doesn’t say anything about how long it will run. Audiences might have had enough with just one viewing. The establishment of a long-running ‘industry’, in the end, comes back to the work itself.
If we ask it this way — if some theatres can really do long-running shows, what kinds of shows have long runs? What conditions are required to pull off a show with a long run? And what such shows have long-lasting value? From the master Stephen Sondheim to Hamilton, the hit of recent years, what we can learn from Broadway is that good works can’t be rushed. What’s good is that, organizations in Hong Kong in recent years have begun to emphasize the cultivation of works, and are willing to spend years to let them germinate, arrange readings, pre-shows. The audience moves from being ignorant about this form and process, to understanding, which deserves to be celebrated. We hope that in this atmosphere, Hong Kong musicals can take steps forward, and move from success to success. After all, when it comes to Cantonese-language musicals, there’s no place in the world but Hong Kong.
(Translated by Elliott Cheung)