Verne stage production is in a league of its own

Innovative presentation of the adventures of the Nautilus submarine gives audiences a stunning performance, Cheng Yuezhu reports.

A jellyfish bobs up and down, a school of fish flashes by and disappears into the darkness, and outside a porthole, an actor rises and falls, as if holding his breath while suspended in the deep sea.

These scenes come from Sino-French sci-fi fantasy production Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, adapted from the eponymous work of French literary giant Jules Verne, bringing to life its deep-sea adventures.

After being staged at the 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival and as the opening production of the Festival Croisements 2025, the production made its Beijing premiere at the Beijing Performing Arts Center from July 11 to 20.

Today's stage productions never lack stunning visual effects, yet what is special about this one is its authentic, classic theatrical methods. Instead of using digital technology, the show's spectacle is created by puppetry and physical theater.

All the performers act as both human characters and puppeteers. They wear specially designed sheer black costumes and manipulate puppets in the dark, with precise lighting design that conceals them and makes the puppets appear more lively.

"We invite the audience to temporarily set aside their reliance on technological effects and reexperience the purest charm of theater. Living performers are here to create artistic miracles in real time," says the production's Chinese director Zha Wenyuan.

"The puppets are not merely props, but extensions of the actors' bodies. Each underwater creature carries human emotions and thoughts. Just as the original work indicates, technology and humanity can poetically intertwine."

The storyline keeps true to Verne's original plot. Natural scientist Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil and harpooner Ned Land set off to hunt a mysterious sea monster. Instead, they discover the Nautilus, a submarine built and manned by Captain Nemo, who invites them to go on adventures under the sea.