"The Phantom of the Opera" is one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most famous musicals. (Photo : Wikimedia)
Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical "The Phantom of the Opera" staged its first show in Guangzhou on Sept. 22, being the second location in the Chinese mainland, after Shanghai, to host the show.
The musical is being staged at the Guangzhou Opera House.
"The Phantom of the Opera" will stage in Beijing in November.
The investment on the musical in Shanghai and Guangzhou cost around 90 million yuan ($14 million), which is a record for musicals in the Chinese market, according to Tian Yuan, general manager of One World Culture Communications, a subsidiary of China Arts and Entertainment Group, the show's organizer.
"The Chinese market for musicals has grown a lot in the past 10 years, which is part of the reason why we dared to introduce such an expensive production," said Tian. "Theaters have also sprung up across the country with heavy investments from the government."
"The Phantom of the Opera" is one of Webber's most famous musicals, having been staged more than 74,000 times in 27 countries.
"The show is magic. I mean that both literally and in terms of the emotional involvement of the audience while watching the incredible story," said the musical's director, Philip Godawa.
Really Useful Group, the producer of the show, decided to stage it in Shanghai Grand Theater when the musical made its Chinese debut in 2004 because the theater was the only one they could find to meet the extravagant demands of the musical.
This year, the musical was staged in Guangzhou Opera House because it was willing to modify its stage specifically for the show.
The newly built Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center was chosen as the Beijing venue, being the only theater designed for musicals in the country.
