French musical leaves mark on Shanghai

Audiences sing along when performers of Notre-Dame de Paris do an encore Age of the Cathedrals at the SAIC Shanghai Culture Square.

The French musical is being presented in Shanghai through Aug 11, and at the end of almost every performance, the audience sings along during the encore, according to the theater management. The cast is touched by the enthusiasm of the audiences. And the composer of the musical, Riccardo Cocciante, and one of the lead actors, Richard Charest, marvel at how Shanghai's audiences can sing in French.

The musical based on Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris premiered in Paris in 1998. Its music was composed by Cocciante with lyrics by Luc Plamondon.