Chinese version of Israeli play Ghetto staged in Beijing

Photo shows a scene from the Chinese version of Israeli play Ghetto staged at the Poly Theatre, Beijing, Jan. 10, 2023. (Photo provided by Chen Yangyang from Magnificent Culture)

To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls on Jan. 27, the Chinese version of Ghetto, an Israeli play that tells the story of the Vilna Ghetto during the Nazi occupation in World War II was staged at the Poly Theater in Beijing from Jan. 11 to 12.

The performance was jointly supported by the Israeli and German embassies in China to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Several foreign diplomatic envoys to China came to watch the show, including H.E. Irit Ben-Abba, and H.E. Patricia Flor, the Israeli and German ambassadors.

The play was first performed at the Haifa Theatre in Israel in 1984, has since been staged in over 25 countries, including Germany, Britain and the United States, and has been translated into 20 languages. The Chinese adaptation premiered in China in 2018 to wide acclaim.

H.E. Irit Ben-Abba (L), Israel's ambassador to China, and H.E. Patricia Flor (R), German ambassador to China, arrive for the Chinese version of Israeli play Ghetto staged at the Poly Theatre, Beijing, Jan. 11, 2023. (Photo provided by Tong Guo from Magnificent Culture)

Directed and written by Israeli playwright Joshua Sobol, the play is based on the true story of a theatre that continued running in the Jewish ghetto of Vilnius during the darkest days of the Holocaust.

Anais Martane, French artist and spouse of Chinese actor Liu Ye, brought the play to China, and was the lead actress as well as co-producer of Ghetto’s Chinese adaptation.

“It’s to our surprise that we can find records of people coming to the theatre and paying for shows at that time (during the Nazi occupation in World War II),” Martane said. Records seem to indicate that every performance played to a full house during a period when people had little food to eat, she added.

Photo shows Anais Martane, the lead actress and co-producer of Ghetto’s Chinese version, being interviewed at the Poly Theatre, Beijing, Jan. 12, 2023. (People’s Daily Online/Cai Hairuo)

Most audiences felt the strength of life through the story, she explained.

“I think that presenting this show in China is very important, because it will help Chinese audiences learn about the history of the Jewish people, the Holocaust, and World War II,” said Erez Katz Volovelsky, spokesperson of the Israeli embassy in China.

It’s also important for the young generation to become familiar with this history, which they may not know about, he added. 

Photo shows a scene from the Chinese version of Israeli play Ghetto staged at the Poly Theatre, Beijing, Jan. 10, 2023. (Photo provided by Chen Yangyang from Magnificent Culture)

Photo shows a scene from the Chinese version of Israeli play Ghetto staged at the Poly Theatre, Beijing, Jan. 10, 2023. (Photo provided by Chen Yangyang from Magnificent Culture)