ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S musical “The Phantom of the Opera,” one of the most popular theatrical shows ever, will kick off its new international tour in China in summer, starting at the Bay Opera of Shenzhen from July 2 through Aug. 4, it was announced in Shanghai last week. Produced by SMG LIVE, the live entertainment leg of Shanghai Media Group, in collaboration with Crossroads Live and Webber’s Really Useful Group (RUG), the China tour will then go on to another six cities: Xi’an, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chengdu, Beijing and a final destination that is yet to be announced. The show has toured 193 cities in 46 countries and regions since its premiere in the U.K. in 1986. In 2004, the production made its first tour of China, and had a record-breaking 100 shows at Shanghai Grand Theater. From 2013 to 2015, the show toured again, visiting Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. In the past decades, “The Phantom of the Opera” has led the way in the growth and prosperity of the market for musicals in China, said Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of Shanghai Grand Theater. In 2018, SMG and RUG jointly announced the “Phantom” China project, aiming at propelling the development of China’s musical industry through a series of initiatives to nurture talent, cultivate the market and promote productions. In May 2023, the Chinese version of “The Phantom of the Opera” was premiered at Shanghai Grand Theater, the 18th language adaptation for the show. The Chinese production toured nine cities with 159 shows and box office receipts totaled more than 150 million yuan (US$20.8 million), said Ma Chencheng, president of SMG Live. The new touring production will star Jonathan Roxmouth, the youngest actor to take the role in its original English production, in the title role. As part of both the 2012 and 2019 world tours, “The Phantom of the Opera” took him to the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Israel, Dubai, South Korea and China’s Taiwan. (China Daily) | 