Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical Tell Me On A Sunday is to undergo a Chinese makeover as the theatre impresario expands his musical empire to the country.
The Phantom Of The Opera composer’s Really Useful Group (RUG) – the company behind numerous hit productions including Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar – has struck a deal with one of China’s leading performing arts companies, Shanghai Media Group Live.
A Chinese language version of Tell Me On A Sunday, one of Lord Lloyd Webber’s most popular musicals, will tour the country next year.
The production, which originally follows a young woman moving from London to New York, will instead tell the tale of a modern Chinese woman travelling from regional China to Shanghai.
The deal also includes an initiative to develop talent in China through musical theatre courses taught in collaboration with leading training college Arts Educational Schools.
Lord Lloyd Webber said: “The Really Useful Group has been bringing my music to China since 2001.
“Our ambition is that Chinese audiences should enjoy musical theatre productions every bit the equal in scale and quality to those in North America or Europe. Now, in Shanghai Media Group, we have a partner with whom we can achieve this goal.”
SMG Live’s Wang Jianjun said: “SMG Live has always been keen on producing entertainment content of the highest quality, particularly for live performances.
“We are excited to be working with RUG to develop musical theatre in China and hope this partnership can grow into a successful case study for international cooperation.”
