China plans a Karl Marx musical

Michael Bristow reports for the BBC :

A Chinese director is planning to stage a musical based on the founding text of communism, Karl Marx's Das Kapital.

The plot will revolve around a group of office employees who find out they are being exploited by their boss.

China's communist leaders still praise Karl Marx, although they now shy away from his economic theories.

But those involved in the production say that Marx is still relevant today, particularly in a world gripped by an economic crisis.

Good timing

There will be singing and dancing in this stage version of the classic communist treatise, which is due to open in Shanghai next year.

"We will bring [Marx's] economic theories to life in a trendy, interesting and educational play, which will be fun to watch," director He Nian told the state-run China Daily.

Those behind the project say this approach will help people understand what many consider a dry, philosophical text.

But the producers promise they will not trivialise Marx's central message.

To make sure that does not happen, Zhang Jun, an economics professor at Shanghai's Fudan University, will act as an advisor on the production.

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