China's Curtain Rises.(Arts)(theater)

Byline: Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop

The Broadway musical gets a warm reception: 'Les Miz' in Mandarin.

Ever since the West End revival of "Les Miserables" PASSED the scrutiny of China's censors in 2002--possibly thanks to its revolutionary theme--Western musicals have been steadily making their way to Chinese theaters. Audiences have been willing to shell out hundreds of dollars per ticket for such Broadway staples as "Cats," "The Sound of Music," "Phantom of the Opera," "Mamma Mia!" "The Lion King" and "42nd Street," performed in English with Mandarin subtitles projected above the stage. Now Chinese audiences are becoming more demanding: they want to see productions in Mandarin.

They're beginning to get their wish. A year ago, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" became the first off-Broadway production to be translated into Mandarin. Its producer, Broadway Asia Entertainment, is now working on Chinese-language versions of "SpongeBob SquarePants," a musical based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon, due to be staged in China later this year, and "The Wizard of Oz," scheduled for 2009. And British producer Cameron Mackintosh is creating a Chinese-language version of "Les Miserables," set to open at Beijing's National Grand Theatre in November.

Chinese audiences are also pushing for musicals that reflect their own culture. This month the Mandarin-language "Shanghai Blues--The Musical," premiered at Singapore's Esplanade Theatre before touring China, with performances slated in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou. The musical, a triangular love story set in 1940s Shanghai, has been adapted from a Hong Kong film by the critically acclaimed playwright Raymond To. It starred popular Hong Kong artist William So as a musician seeking his fortune, along with Singaporean actress Mindee Ong as a glamorous but cold-hearted lounge singer, and Emma Yong, who played the young ingenue. And homegrown Chinese musicals are beginning to emerge as well: "Butterflies," based on the classic Chinese tragedy "Butterfly Lovers," opened in Beijing in September. And "Tibetan Riddle," a music-and-dance extravaganza about an old Tibetan woman's pilgrimage, is currently touring the country.

Because of its long tradition of theater and dance, China--like much of Asia--is a natural destination for Broadway musicals. "The Asians have always had musical theater, ballet, dance, drama, etc.," says J. P. Nathan, director of programming at Singapore's Esplanade Theatre. "But while Indians translated their musical-theater practice into Bollywood films, the Chinese made a strong transition to contemporary theater, but left out the music."

Homegrown Asian musical productions first appeared in the region in the mid-'90s, with South Korea leading the way. "The Last Empress," about the final days of the Korean royal family, was a resounding hit in Asia and eventually traveled to New York and London. Building on that winning ...