From Cats to Chicago, China is loving Western musicals – but what of its own?

Ticket sales in China for imported musicals grew almost 150 per cent last year, driving overall revenue growth for musicals by over 90 per cent

More Chinese versions of Western musicals, and Chinese originals, are being staged, but fears exist that the market will not grow without Western shows

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Notre Dame de Paris being performed at the Shanghai Cultural Square Theatre in July. Photo: Wang Qishu / Shanghai Cultural Square Theatre

Published: 2:00pm, 18 Sep 2019Updated: 5:38pm, 19 Sep 2019

One of the world’s most successful musicals, Notre-Dame de Paris is being staged in China to huge acclaim, signalling robust potential for a relatively new form of entertainment in the country.

Based on a novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, the musical has been staged in about 20 countries and translated into eight languages since its 1998 debut in Paris.

The production is touring 14 cities in China until the end of the year and all the tickets sold out months before it was staged first in Shanghai in July and then in Beijing in August.

Seventeen years after the first European musical, Les Miserables, landed in China, demand for such productions is growing.

Quasimodo (played by Angelo Del Vecchio) mourning the death of his Gypsy lover Esmeralda (Hiba Tawaji) in Notre Dame de Paris in Shanghai. Photo: Wang Qishu / Shanghai Cultural Square Theatre

“Not all music can overcome cultural barriers,” said Richard Cocciante, composer of Notre-Dame de Paris, at a press conference during the musical’s run in Beijing. “I never imagined that Notre-Dame de Paris would have such an impact, but it has become a reality. Over the years, the musical has spanned many countries, relying on the power of music.”