New Sound of Music coming to Chinese stage

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber first tested the waters for musicals in the Chinese market by staging two concerts at the Great Hall of the People in September 2001, including many hits from his internationally acclaimed productions such as Cats and The Phantom of The Opera. The concerts endeared Chinese critics and audiences to musicals. More Webber musicals came to China in the following decade.

One of Webber's musical productions, The Sound of Music, will tour China from late this month through January, visiting Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing.

Coproducer David Ian says it will be the China debut for the UK production of the musical. First opened at the London Palladium in 2006, it ran in London for two years and then toured the United Kingdom for another two years.