Rush to tread boards thanks to the sound of musicals
Growing numbers of young people are shooting for a life of stardom on the stage - drama groups report a surge in interest fuelled by Broadway musicals playing in the city.
Theatre production companies say their auditions are attracting more potential performers than ever, with one reporting a near doubling of hopefuls enrolling in their drama workshops.
Over the past three years Fame, Singing in the Rain, Mamma Mia! and Saturday Night Fever have thrilled audiences and taken sizeable box office receipts.
David Atkins, the producer of three of those shows, along with Chicago, which came to Hong Kong in 2000, said audience numbers were growing with each show he staged. An unprecedented 95 per cent of seats were filled for the most recent show, Saturday Night Fever, which ended its run last Sunday.
Mohamed Drissi, chairman of the Hong Kong Musical Theatre Federation, said visiting Broadway shows had encouraged local drama companies to put on more musicals.
'The visiting musical shows increase the popularity of musical theatre and draw more and more audiences to see other local musicals, now that they [the audience] know what a musical actually is.''
He said while the quality of local musical productions was a far cry from their Broadway inspirations, local talent had improved.
The Musical Theatre Federation was founded in 2003 to build upon the growing interest. The federation's workshops for next month and August had to increase their capacity from 15 students to 25 students per class.
Lindsey McAlister, of Lindsey McAlister Productions, said now is the time for companies to cash in.
Ms McAlister described the turnout of 120 at a recent 'call-back' audition for her company's upcoming production of Fame as astounding. She put the numbers down to interest generated by Broadway shows.
One of the would-be performers Caroline Meyer, age 17, said: 'I've seen a lot of travelling musicals in Hong Kong. It builds up confidence ... you watch performances and think 'I can do that too.''
'The energy [of Broadway musicals] makes me happy,' Margaret Ho Hiu-nam, an 18-year-old musical theatre major at the Academy of Performing Arts, said. 'It's 'The One'. In my life, I only have dancing, singing, eating, sleeping, and nothing else ... and I love that'.
Apart from performing, young musical theatre majors are also contributing to the spread of their art by teaching classes on musical theatrics in private schools, Mr Drissi said.
The next musical coming to Hong Kong is The Sound of Music in September, and a promotional blitz is planned for schools.
'For most six- and seven-year-olds, The Sound of Music will be the first musical they will ever see,'' said James Zi Chun-see, spokesman for The Tank, which is investing joint efforts with Music Nation to bring the show to Hong Kong.
Mr Drissi said schools had been producing more musicals in recent years.
Now that Hong Kong has grown to love musicals, he said, the focus for the future should be to educate people how to appreciate musicals.
'We need to educate people about the difference between singing in a musical and singing a pop song ...to create a more informed audience that really understands musicals,' he said.
'Musical theatre is a very accessible art form,' added Ms McAlister. 'Most people go along because of the feelgood factor.'
Take a bow
Saturday Night Fever 2005, 31/2-week run. 95% capacity
Mamma Mia! 2004, 10-week run. 75% capacity
Singing in the Rain 2002, 31/2-week run. 85-86% capacity
Fame - the Musical 2002, 31/2-week run. 75% capacity
Chicago 2000, 41/2-week run. 83% capacity
