HCM CITY — Lucia and the Ice Mountain, a fairy tale musical co-produced by young musicians and producers from ASEAN countries, will premiere in HCM City today.

The musical was inspired by and based on the book Land of the Blue Mountains by English children’s writer Enid Blyton.

It features the adventure of Princess Lucia Valentina O’Donnell along with her faithful dog Saxton who travels to Ice Mountain to find a cure for the disease of her sick mother, Queen Marian.

On the journey, she faces challenges made by the cold-hearted Ice Queen.

The musical is directed by Singaporean actor and director Marc Valentine, and its screenplay was written by producer and writer Kevin Chua, who is based in Singapore and Los Angeles.

The play’s music is composed by Indonesian composer Ivan Tangkulung and singer Mavelina Setiawan and it is choreographed by Vietnamese dancer Tố Tố, the 2016 winner of Bước Nhảy Ngàn Cân, a Vietnamese version of the US TV reality dance show Dance Your Fat Off.

Tố Tố will play the leading role of Lucia as well.

Âu Bảo Ngân, who was in the top 3 of Voice Việt Nam 2013 – a Vietnamese version of the US TV reality singing show The Voice, will play both Queen Marian and Ice Queen.

“Playing two characters with opposite personalities is a big challenge for me,” said the 29-year-old singer who has taken part in several musicals in HCM City and Hà Nội, such as The Secret Garden and Les Miserables.

The cast will also include Huỳnh Luân, Quang Huy, and Huỳnh Đức, who are members of theatre clubs in HCM City.

“All of the actors and I feel lucky working with experienced producers from neighbouring countries. We learned a lot from them,” said Tố Tố, a member of Buffalo Theatre, who offers Broadway productions in Việt Nam such as Chicago and High School Musical.

“We worked hard and spent hours on training dance and singing for the musical,” the 24-year-old dancer said, adding that Lucia and the Ice Mountain would be a success.

The musical will be staged on January 6, 12 and 13 at the Pop Music Stage, 57 Cao Thắng Street in District 3. — VNS