Art Attack: Cats Craze and Bruce Lee's Master on the Big Screen

This is the last week of Cats. The Chinese adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical will end its Beijing run next Thursday. Audiences have been lapping it up. I had a peek on Sina Weibo to see what people were saying. There was a lot of excitement building up to the show and reviews were generally positive. However, some diehard Cats fans complained that the local performance doesn't compare to the original.

They found beloved songs like "Memories," when sung in Mandarin, to be a little jarring. Chinese media reports that "Chinese style" was one of the goals of the show. Not just a word-for-word translation, but a full cultural adaptation that includes Maotai liquor and Beijing duck. One fan was not let down. "Fantastic," she posted on her weibo, with a photo of herself made up like a cat.

I'm also excited that Wong Kar-wai's latest flick, The Grandmasters,is opening on January 8. The film tells the story of Bruce Lee's kung fu master, Yip Man. Check out the trailer below.

Here is a handful of cultural events to look forward to this week:

North Korean film: Hong Kil Dong

Chinese film: A Woman for Two

Art exhibition: One Way

Piano recital: Helene Grimaud

Ballet: Swan Lake

Poetry dance theater: Don't Translate the Dream

Watch the trailer for The Grandmasters and the full, original version of Cats below.

Photo: Ximin