Martin Koch to make Ip Man musical organic

Martin Koch aims to take musical Ip Man into the international market.

To those eager to add various kinds of "Chinese elements" such as Peking Opera and martial arts to musicals, Koch says: "Nothing should be added unless it is relevant and essential to the play."

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Ip Man the musical will be premiered next summer in Singapore, with lyrics in English, and go on to Broadway before touring China in Mandarin.

For his first visit to China, Koch went to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, meeting with and listening to Chinese musicians. Their versatility and outstanding techniques were exhilarating, he says.

He was particularly impressed with the yangqin, a Chinese hammered dulcimer, and how different techniques are used to play one instrument.

It was an eye-opener, Koch says. "China has many international level musicians. The key now is to take them to the rest of the world."

In the role of music supervisor, Koch worked on the opening and closing ceremonies for both the London Olympics and Paralympics.

"All the artistic directors for the London ceremonies used to work in theater," he says. When they decided they could not work on the same scale as the Beijing Olympics, they took a different approach, with less spectacle and more story-telling.

The theatrical side of the ceremonies has been particularly successful, reflecting the rich English heritage and creativity, Koch says.

Today's musical industry has set the production level very high, he says. The market for live shows has been affected by the financial climate. Musicians are having a tough time, but the music sector has stayed very healthy, Koch observes, and the China market seems eager for more.