On May 9, the Cantonese version of the musical I Am What I Am made its Chinese mainland debut at the Guangzhou Grand Theater in Tianhe district, which also raised the curtain on the 2024 Guangzhou Art Season.

This year's Guangzhou Art Season is scheduled to run through Sept 1, and 60 excellent plays in the genres of operas, musicals, dance dramas, concerts, acrobatics, and traditional Chinese operas are planned.

A stage photo of the Cantonese version of the musical I Am What I Am. [Photo/Yangcheng Evening News]

They include the Kunqu Opera The Peach Blossom Fan starring Shi Xiaming and Shan Wen, winners of the highest theater award in China Plum Blossom Prize; the stage drama War and Peace directed by Rimas Tuminas; the musical School of Rock created by British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber; and the opera Wedding on the Execution Ground jointly produced by the Guangzhou Grand Theater and the South China University of Technology.

"I've seen the Mandarin version of I Am What I Am before and have been looking forward to watching the Cantonese version," said Mr He, a Guangzhou citizen.

He added that the lion dance is an essential symbol of Lingnan culture, and using Cantonese to perform on stage can better spread the Cantonese and Lingnan cultures.