Performing while pregnant has its rewards in Ningxia

A musical performance adapted from Broadway kicked off in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Nov 15, with a cast that included three pregnant women.

Zhang Mengmeng, one of the performers, is nine-months pregnant. Along with Zhang, two others are also pregnant — for seven and six months, respectively. They chose a unique way to welcome the arrival of new lives.

Zhang and her partners have adapted music from several classic Broadway shows, including Hamilton, Chicago and Legally Blonde, and performed them in a rather interesting way.

"I saw pregnant actresses performing musicals in New York, which inspired me," Zhang said. "They were incredible on stage, and I made up my mind to be on a stage with my baby someday."

After discussing the idea with the other two pregnant women, Zhang got everybody to agree, and they began preparing for the show. With COVID-19 getting under control, the pregnant partners began rehearsing in June. They practiced late into the evening most days.

Preparing for a show is hard for a pregnant woman, given the physical and psychological difficulties. But there's an upside:

"My wish finally came true, and all the pain turned into happiness," Zhang said after the performance.