In recent years, musical theater has developed a burgeoning following in China with both domestic and international productions, attracting growing interest. This surge in popularity was a key topic at a recent forum about musical theater at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center on Wednesday and Thursday.

Co-initiated by the Tianqiao performing arts center and the Central Academy of Drama, the forum gathered industry leaders, musical producers, directors and performers to discuss the changing dynamics of the Chinese musical theater landscape. It not only celebrated the domestic growth of musicals but also offered key insights into what is driving this cultural shift.

Once a niche art form, musical theater has become a mainstream cultural phenomenon, according to Hao Rong, president of the Central Academy of Drama, a top university based in Beijing.

"The school opened its musical department in 1992, one of the earliest art schools in the country to do so. Over the past 30 years, we've trained musical directors, scriptwriters and performers, as well as witnessed dramatic changes to the musical theater scene in the country," Hao says.

"Musicals in China are no longer just a curiosity for niche theater lovers. The genre has crossed over into the cultural mainstream and we're seeing an audience that is more diverse, enthusiastic and knowledgeable than ever," he adds.

During the forum on Wednesday, the China Association of Performing Arts published a report on the 2024 musical market. It says that from January to October, there were 13,600 musical performances across the country, up 5.5 percent compared to the same period in 2023. Receipts reached around 1.4 billion yuan ($193.42 million), a year-over-year increase of 26.7 percent. Audience attendance increased to more than 5.8 million, up 4.6 percent.

By the end of 2024, the number of musical performances is expected to reach 17,000, with revenues surpassing 1.6 billion yuan and the number of spectators exceeding 7 million.

"Musicals play an increasingly important role as a dynamic part of the commercial performance market," says Pan Yan, vice-president and secretary-general of the China Association of Performing Arts.

"There are plenty of musicals and the audience for them continues to grow. The Chinese musical theater market holds significant potential for future growth."

An important factor driving the genre's popularity is the growing influx of high-profile international productions. From English composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera to the popular French musical Les Miserables, beloved shows have captivated audiences to bring world-class experiences to Chinese cities.

From Wednesday to Sunday, the concert version of the German musical Rebecca was staged at the Tianqiao performing arts center with seven performances, after 16 performances in Shanghai earlier this month.

Based on the 1938 novel of the same name by English novelist and playwright Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca is a Gothic romance filled with suspense, intrigue and psychological drama. The musical adaptation by German librettist Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, a Serbian-born Hungarian recording artist and composer, premiered in Vienna, Austria, in 2006.

According to Franz Patay, the Austrian general manager of Vereinigte Buhnen Wien, the Viennese production company behind Rebecca, the musical has been performed in 13 countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Japan, and translated into 10 different languages. It enjoyed a fair amount of success in Europe but had a mixed reception in some places.

The latest concert version of Rebecca, based on songs from the musical, brought 30 performers, including Antonia Kalinowski and Arvid Assarsson, who sing and act, to China. This August and September, the company's other hit musical production Elisabeth, which debuted in China in 2014, returned to the mainland with shows in Shanghai, Patay adds.

"I watched Rebecca in South Korea in 2014 and dreamed about introducing it to the Chinese audience," Yang Shucong, deputy general manager of the Tianqiao performing arts center, said during the forum on Wednesday. "A year after I watched it, the Tianqiao performing arts center, one of the first venues to focus on musicals in China, opened in Beijing in 2015 with The Phantom of the Opera. Before that, the show had never been performed in Beijing."

Yang says that since 2016, multilingual musicals have been staged around the country and in 2020, the new musical concert format was introduced.

Around 100 musical concerts have been staged since 2023, with box-office sales exceeding 40 million yuan, demonstrating that this format has captured the attention of theatergoers, according to the latest report from the China Association of Performing Arts.

Over the last nine years, 3.3 million people have visited the venue to watch performances, with 1.1 million attending musicals, according to Yang. Total box-office revenues hit 957 million yuan to date, with musical theater accounting for 125 million yuan.

This year, the Tianqiao performing arts center has staged 10 international musicals in different languages, including new and returning productions.

While international musicals have made a major impact, there has been an equally impressive rise in Chinese-language musicals, according to the report. The forum highlighted that homegrown productions are resonating with audiences, offering fresh perspectives that reflect the country's culture and societal themes.

"One of the most significant trends is the rise of Chinese musicals, which have achieved critical and commercial success. These productions, often featuring local talent and stories, have brought a new level of creativity and cultural relevance to the stage," Pan says. "Chinese-language musicals are starting to connect with audiences on a deeper level. We are telling our own stories in our own voices."

With the domestic market for musicals continuing to grow, experts predict even greater expansion in the coming years. Factors such as increasing disposable incomes, rising cultural awareness and growing media coverage are all contributing to the continued success of the genre in China. Additionally, with the increasing number of Chinese musicals and a rising interest in musical education, there is significant potential for China to become a global hub for musical theater.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn