Pull Back the Curtain on SAGA City of Light

In the vein of the popular and long-running production Sleep No More comes Shanghai's latest foray into massively ambitious interactive theater: SAGA City of Light. 

And ambitious is definitely the word.

With a performance area of over 12,000 square meters, SAGA City of Light is the single largest theater show (Area Covered) ever created -- officially recognized by Guinness World Records, even -- a theatrical production with the size, scope, and special effects of a Hollywood summer blockbuster. 

Scroll through for a peek into the massive, multifaceted production of the new biggest show in town -- or any town -- SAGA City of Light.

Traveling Through Time to Old Shanghai

SAGA City of Light is undertaken by French production company Puy du Fou, known for their bafflingly gigantic, large-scale theme park-meets-theater pieces in Europe. Puy du Fou's productions take inspiration from French history -- famous medieval battles and conflicts, Roman Gaul, the trenches of World War I -- with shows that merge action set pieces, historical fantasy, and technical spectacle into truly unique and jaw-dropping theater experiences. With its unique creative concepts and outstanding artistic interpretation, Puy du Fou has been awarded the title of "The World's Most Exciting Artist". "Best Theme Park" and many other international awards are still being enriched to this day.  Check out this video to see what they are doing in Europe.

Bringing their technological and staging experience, Puy du Fou's first creation in Shanghai takes audiences into a legend world, with multiple diverging and converging narratives tinged with action, romance, intrigue, and adventure. 

More Than A Shanghai Story, Larger than Life

The sheer scale of the production is staggering: over 50 separate scenes, 130 actors, 26,000 vintage props, and cinematic scenes. Guests wind their way through the massive 12,000-square-meter space, chasing their own storylines through the alleys and doorways, being thrown into the back of a truck, stowing away on a riverboat, or talking their way onto an old train.

With so many possible pathways through the story, you'll never experience the entirety of the thing in one visit, but you are more than welcome to climb back on board and have a completely new experience. 

The Plot Is Afoot…

Guests play the role of a band of newly graduated archaeology interns, following the central male lead, modern archaeologist Jieming. He is obsessed with exploring the City of Light. According to the direction of Nicole's diary from the past which has a certain mysterious power, the audience travels back in time to 1930s to learn more about the story between Jieming and Nicole in that generation.

Drama!

Guests embark on an adventure with Jieming to rescue Nico, rushing through a variety of set pieces, encountering a ramshackle cast of characters from Old Shanghai, and discovering the truth and reason behind the conflicts among Jieming, Nicole, and Duanmu -- the big villain in the story.

A Colorful Cast of Characters

We have our hero, we have our heroine, and we have our villain. But with over 130 actors involved, it’s a motley crew of characters whose world you're entering: a sculpture emperor from the past, dueling kung fu masters and gamble, cabaret singers, actors, and dancers, beggars, and patriotic businessman -- all comprise a rich and vibrant recreation of Shanghai in the 1930s, each playing a unique role in your story. 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Underneath the overarching narrative, audiences are invited to choose their own path through the multiple winding narratives, creating and acting in their own story. A scene ends with a choice of two doors here. A scene ends with a choice of two alleyways there. Did you get the train or the boat ticket? Will you decide to follow your ticket?

Will you actively try to get involved in the events or wait and hang back to see how things pan out? 

A strong undercurrent of chance and fate underpins your propulsive journey to the legendary City of Light.

Down the Rabbit Hole…

The narrative unfolds in a series of scenes along twisting storylines, with actors performing right in front of you -- no separation of audience and stage. A barroom fight spills out onto your table and knocks over your drink, and a ballroom dancer performs an elegant spin in the theatre.

Guests are invited to participate in their storyline, and the actors improvise on the spot based on the responses they get. 

(This is also a really fun element for kids.) 

A Caveat: The Show Is in Chinese

SAGA City of Light is about spectacle, discovery, love and the adventure of it all, with a moving, if fantastical, story. It's fairly obvious who the good guys and bad guys are, of course. It's not hard to follow your instincts. That said, the show is performed in Chinese, and if your level of Chinese is "zero,"  it’s best to go with a Chinese friend who can provide some on-the-fly subtitles for you.

The surprise and revelation of all these crazy scenes and set pieces one after the other is entertaining enough, but to get the most out of it, if your Chinese is not at all great, take the opportunity to do some bonding with a Chinese friend, partner, or colleague. 

The Mise en Scene of Shanghai Culture

Interacting with recreated yellowed old letters strewn about an oaken office desk, vintage playing cards falling off the table in a back alley pub, and rusted bicycles strewn about in a shabby old Shanghai shikumen, the attention to minutia and detail of the scenes is really incredible. Audiences traverse painstakingly recreated art deco dancehalls, theater spaces, backstages, temples, and tea houses. 

A Wild Ride

Smaller, more subdued bits of drama spill out into high-stakes, kinetic platforms that emulate moving life-size trains and other vehicles.

It's best to climb aboard without any spoilers, so we'll just say: expect to be jostled a bit and wear comfortable shoes! 

Lights, Camera, Immersion!

The lighting, water, and sound effects make it feel like you're walking through a movie unfolding around you. Action set pieces -- singing, dancing, and fighting -- happen right in the audience space, meaning that everyone is enjoying the show from the front row. 

The Experience

The experience really is a 3D, multi-sensory sort of thing, with things to see, props to notice, or activities to take part in happening all around you. At times, the ground shakes right under you. You can get as involved with the story as you want or sit back as a more passive observer. The scale of production is astounding, so much so that you might dip in and out of the action of the events to admire a soap advertisement from the past on an alley wall, some old-timey beauty products on a dressing room table, or vintage glass and silverware in a riverboat dining section.

Only to be snapped back into it as the scene ends and you’ve got the next serious choice in front of you. 

In the end, you'll witness a Chinese wedding with classical decorations and costumes between Jieming and Nicole. Although Jieming was dead in 1930, his love for Nicole still drove the reincarnated Jieming to find the City of Light, fulfilling the vow he made to Nicole before sacrificing himself to assassinate the villain Duanmu - "I’ll meet you in City of Light, I swear!". Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends time and space, isn’t it?

Gift Shop on the Left

The show ends with bleary -- eyed guests back out into the lobby, returning your capes (yes), and getting use of your mobile phone again. There’s a gift shop if you'd like to commemorate your voyage with a trinket and a very stylish cafe if you're looking for a post-show comedown. 

Dinner and a Show?

To get the most out of your experience, there's an option for a pre-game dinner served in their restaurant just at the gate of departure. Different meals are available with many options like a French Duck Confit Set, Beef Stew with Red Wine Set, Scallion oil noodles, etc.

Guests dine in an elegant art deco restaurant while a qipao-clad singer performs classics of the era: "Ye Shang Hai," "Without You,"  and "Autumn Night," among others.

(And the show has started, even then, as you notice the actors wander in wearing period dress and fully in character…)

Who’s going?

SAGA The City of Light -- one to check out if you're a theater nerd for sure. It boasts a super high production value, innovative staging, spectacles around every corner, and really game performances from a huge and hugely talented cast.

And it's got the Guinness World Record for the biggest show ever.

If your Chinese isn't up to snuff, take this as a really fun opportunity to bond with the Chinese speakers in your life and try something really unique in the city. Great fun for kids as well.

And with many different routes through the story, it’s something to rediscover on multiple visits. 

We’ve Got Two: Ticketing and Show Information

Tickets for Saga at 184rmb available here at SmartShanghai. Scan the code below to purchase. You can pick a date and select from several time slots available daily.