Musicals singing all the way to the bank as popularity soars

"Our music supervisor Martin Koch is a Tony-award winning music supervisor, composer and conductor. He has worked in the music industry in the West End and Broadway for more than half of his life. Also many of our artists have worked in the West End and Broadway," said Wang.

In addition to box office revenues, musical-themed products, such as toys, T-shirts and miniatures of characters, are being designed and developed to generate income, said Wang.

Derivatives of musicals can contribute a significant non-theatrical income in mature markets. About 25 percent of theatre-goers in the West End may purchase derivatives of musicals when they go to see a show. T-shirts, mugs and CD records of the original sound tracks are among the most popular products. Costumes, masks, and stuffed animals are gratefully received by children.

There are detailed studies into market segmentation, said Wang.

"Take T-shirts for example. We have motif-related matching clothes for young couples and children to wear on holiday, polo shirts with embroidered logos for business occasions and specially made shirts for golf players," said Wang.

For musicals adapted from popular shows from other countries, CD records of songs in foreign languages, baseball caps and smartphone cases are among the best-selling products.

"On a single evening we sold more than 20 phone case with cats' ears. Buyers had to line up during the intervals to secure a black cat ear phone case," said Su Shan, a marketing professional for Cats with UALE.

China's audiences are becoming increasingly critical. They expect more than just some popular songs they can sing along to, or settings that look glamorous. Like audiences around the world, they require interaction, emotional involvement and a feeling that "I am in the show", said Li Jing, producer of the Chinese version of Mama Mia! with UALE.

Appeal to audience

Audiences in China across the nation are not shy about singing and dancing along with the artists on stage as the story evolves.

The laughter and the applause when a witty line is heard, the singing and dancing along with the artists, the cheering from the stage and cheering back from the stalls, the curtain calls - everyone can tell how much an audience has been involved, transformed from spectators to players by counting how many times these interactions take place, said Li.

Musicals, as a live entertainment genre, are not new to Chinese audiences. They have developed a taste for the genre, said Du Shan, a composer and a fan of musicals. "You can't just mix some songs into a play and call it a musical, unless it has an outstanding plot, songs and dances," said Du.

For many audiences, the experience of going to a musical is becoming a part of the show.

"I think the most enjoyable thing is that exhausting feeling after you sweat a lot after dancing with the actors on stage because you feel as if you are one of them. It's so different from watching other plays," said Cai Xiaomu, a 28-year-old theatre-goer in Shanghai.