Musicals find their voice once again

Testing the waters

Li Jing, director and producer for Theatre Rocks, said,"During the past two decades, over 70 percent of the musicals staged in China have either been international tours or Chinese adaptations of Western shows, with original Chinese productions taking up less than 30 percent.

"It's a good time to launch the project to train Chinese talent. We want to combine the showmanship of Broadway and London's West End with Chinese stories and characters."

Song Yang, assistant general manager of Shanghai Grand Theatre, said the epic French musical Les Miserables was a hit when it premiered in the eastern metropolis in 2002. Considered a production that "tested the waters", it was staged 22 times at the theater over the course of three weeks and was a phenomenal success.

"At the time, musicals were a foreign art form for Chinese audiences, but after the premiere, the remaining shows sold out fast," Song said, adding that more Western musicals staged in Shanghai, including Cats, The Lion King and Mamma Mia!, have since been well-received.

Mandarin adaptations of classic Broadway musicals such as Mamma Mia!, Jekyll& Hyde and Murder Ballad have also been a hit with Chinese audiences.

In 2015, when the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center was launched in downtown Beijing, Phantom of the Opera, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, was staged 64 times as the opening production at the venue. Total ticket revenue reached about 70 million yuan ($10.89 million), with an attendance rate of about 95 percent.

Due to the pandemic, the performing arts market has been heavily affected, with live shows canceled and venues closed temporarily. With international theatrical productions still halted, original Chinese presentations have the opportunity to gain audience recognition.

Li said, "From the statistics, we can see there is varied demand among Chinese audiences for theatrical productions.

"The internet has allowed Chinese audiences to get to know a range of art forms, and young Chinese, especially those who travel overseas to watch shows, are very open-minded and informative. It's a good time for us to train our own musical talent."