History Theatre / NixonInChina

''Nixon in China'' is an opera in three acts about UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin quasi-state visit to China in 1972]], by John Coolidge Adams. Premiering in 1987 (all the [[NominalImportance named]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter characters in it except Mao and Chou En-lai were still alive but did not attend]]), it is well regarded but written in a very avant-garde style known as minimalism, so don't expect it to sound like [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven]].

''Nixon in China'' is an opera in three acts about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Nixon's state visit to China in 1972]], by John Coolidge Adams. Premiering in 1987 (all the [[NominalImportance named]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter characters in it except Mao and Chou En-lai were still alive but did not attend]]), it is well regarded but written in a very avant-garde style known as minimalism, so don't expect it to sound like [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven]].

The whole thing starts off with an honor guard of Chinese troops singing revolutionary slogans at the airport as an airplane lands, and UsefulNotes/RichardNixon and Premier Chou En-lai greet each other. Nixon sings to himself about how awesome making history is. He and Chou, along with UsefulNotes/HenryKissinger, go to meet [[UsefulNotes/MaoZedong Chairman Mao]], who turns out to be more interested in talking about philosophy and making jokes than he is in discussing politics. He also has three secretaries who repeat everything he says while he is saying it. Afterward, there is a dinner with long speeches by Chou and Nixon and lots of toasts.

''Nixon in China'' is an opera in three acts about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Richard Nixon's state visit to China in 1972]], by John Coolidge Adams. Premiering in 1987 (all the [[NominalImportance named]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter characters in it except Mao and Chou En-lai were still alive but did not attend]]), it is well regarded but written in a very avant-garde style known as minimalism, so don't expect it to sound like [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven]].

The whole thing starts off with an honor guard of Chinese troops singing revolutionary slogans at the airport as an airplane lands, and Nixon and Premier Chou En-lai greet each other. Nixon sings to himself about how awesome making history is. He and Chou, along with UsefulNotes/HenryKissinger, go to meet Chairman Mao, who turns out to be more interested in talking about philosophy and making jokes than he is in discussing politics. He also has three secretaries who repeat everything he says while he is saying it. Afterward, there is a dinner with long speeches by Chou and Nixon and lots of toasts.

The whole thing starts off with an honor guard of Chinese troops singing revolutionary slogans at the airport as an airplane lands, and Nixon and Premier Chou En-lai greet each other. Nixon sings to himself about how awesome making history is. He and Chou, along with Henry Kissinger, go to meet Chairman Mao, who turns out to be more interested in talking about philosophy and making jokes than he is in discussing politics. He also has three secretaries who repeat everything he says while he is saying it. Afterward, there is a dinner with long speeches by Chou and Nixon and lots of toasts.

''Nixon in China'' is an opera in three acts about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Richard Nixon's state visit to China in 1972]], by John Coolidge Adams. Premiering in 1987 (all the [[NominalImportance named]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter characters in it except Mao and Chou En-lai were still alive but did not attend]]), it is well regarded but written in a very avant-garde style known as minimalism, so don't expect it to sound like Beethoven.

''Nixon in China'' is an opera in three acts about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Richard Nixon's state visit to China in 1972]], by John Coolidge Adams. Premiering in 1987 (all the [[NominalImportance named]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter characters in it except Mao were still alive but did not attend]]), it is well regarded but written in a very avant-garde style known as minimalism, so don't expect it to sound like Beethoven.

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

* CutSong: "The Chairman Dances" (subtitled "Foxtrot for Orchestra") was originally written for Act III, but Adams couldn't fit it in. It's nevertheless quite a popular piece for orchestras as a stand-alone, as it's fairly catchy and fun to play for a Minimalist work.

->News has a kind of mystery;
->When I shook hands with Chou En-lai
->On this bare field outside Peking
->Just now, the whole world was listening.

->And though we spoke quietly
->The eyes and ears of history
->Caught every gesture
->And every word, transforming us
->As we, transfixed
->Made history.
--> [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon Richard]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJmXMo9nWRU Nixon]]

--> [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon Richard]][[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJmXMo9nWRU Nixon]]

--> [[RichardNixon Richard Nixon]][[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJmXMo9nWRU]]

!!Examples

* ImagineSpot where Nixon begins singing the News aria quoted above, he apparantly is in his bedroom but is going on about astronauts and dead soldiers and rats chewing sheets and stuff (with appropriate sound effects) as the curtain falls, and Mrs. Nixon looks on looking as though she has no idea what he is doing. Finally some people come up to remind him of the meeting with Mao momentarily; "'Mr. President... Mr. President...' 'What? Oh, yes'"

In Act II, Mrs. Nixon is shown the sites, mainly factories and hospitals, but they get around to the Forbidden Tombs. Her guides express [[UnfortunateImplications a lot of sympathy with how hard it was]] for all the folks who had to work themselves to death on the old Imperial monuments. Then the Nixons and Kissinger are shown a ballet, ''The Red Detachement of Women'', staged by Madame Mao. It's about an oppressed woman who joins [[LaResistance the Communist brigades]] and plans to assassinate her former pimp. Unfortunately, Madame Mao was a harsh taskmaster, and starts yelling at the dancers, who proceed to screw up and get scolded even more. Mrs. Nixon and Kissinger both sing the presumed opinions of the dancers while the ballet still goes on: Kissinger the nasty characters and Pat the nice ones, respectively. Finally, Act III involves sitting around waiting for the airplane to bring the Americans back home while the main characters are remembering how great things were during the war, Chou En-lai being the only character who expresses any concern about the future and the results of the visit.

* GoodLookingPrivates: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-vK4IV4giw Red Army recruitment]]

* ShowWithinAShow: The ballet in act II.

* GoodLookingPrivates: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-vK4IV4giw Red Army recruitment]]

''Nixon in China'' is an opera in three acts about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Richard Nixon's state visit to China in 1972]], by John Coolidge Adams. Premiering in 1987 (all the [[NominalImportance named]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter characters in it except Mao were still alive but did not attend]]), it is well regarded but written in a very avant-garde style known as minimalism, so [[YourMileageMayVary don't expect it to sound like Beethoven]].

* EarWorm: The dinner scene. "Cheers cheers cheers cheers cheers!!! To Chairman Mao!! The USA!!! TO CHAIRMAN MAO!!! THE USA!!! Washington's Birthday!!!!" Also on [=YouTube=].

* TrueArtSticksItToTheMan: If you were to guess the composer and librettist did not like some of the characters in this opera, you would be correct. They apparantly especially dislike Kissinger. In-story examples were, ironically, created by The Man.