42ND STREET
42nd Street Taps Its Way Into Shanghai Sept. 5, Launching Fall
China Tour
09-05-2007
Written by Kenneth Jones
A new American production of the Tony-Award winning musical
42nd Street opens in Shanghai Sept. 5, kicking off an
unprecedented seven-city tour in China before playing dates in
other cities in Asia.
Presented by Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, LLC, with other
producing partners, including Troika Entertainment, the tap-happy
1980 musical comedy will tour to Beijing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Hangzhou,
Hefei and Ningbo ?marking the first time a Broadway production has
toured this extensively throughout China. Co-librettist Mark
Bramble, who directed the musical's Tony Award-winning 2001
Broadway revival, stages the production.
Robert Nederlander, Jr., president and CEO of Nederlander Worldwide
Entertainment, stated, "This event is not only about bringing the
best of Broadway to China, it's about sharing universal themes
through musical performances while fostering goodwill among our two
cultures."
This production of
42nd Street marks the start of
Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment's efforts into China and the
rest of Asia. It's the "first of many Broadway shows that the
Nederlander/Chinese venture will tour across China," according to
the producers.
A project seven years in the making, Nederlander Worldwide
Entertainment's Chinese affiliate "is the first joint-venture
production and theatre management company allowed to operate under
the new rules set forth by the Chinese Ministry of Culture."
The venture has received "strategic investments" from American
International Group, Inc., and Ticketmaster. The musical comedy
about a small-town girl who makes it big on Broadway has a book by
Bramble and Michael Stewart (drawing on the film and novel), and
songs by Al Dubin and Harry Warren.
This is likely the first time such songs as "You're Getting to Be a
Habit With Me," "I Only Have Eyes for You" and "Shuffle Off to
Buffalo" will be performed live in Chinese theatres.
In December, a tour in Korea begins with eight weeks in Seoul
followed by four weeks in other cities before moving on to Thailand
and Malaysia.
*
As previously reported, Rick Conant choreographs the production,
which boasts an American cast that includes Equity and non-Equity
performers.
American and British musicals have filtered into China in recent
years with major Western-produced stagings of
Les Miz,
The Phantom of the Opera,
Cats,
The Lion
King and more getting runs in major cities there.
Variety reported that the
42nd Street China tour producing
partners are the Nederlanders, Troika Entertainment and Broadway
Asia Entertainment, and the Chinese partners are Beijing Time New
Century Entertainment and Shanghai Media Entertainment Group.
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Source Press Article: (webpage)
42nd Street Taps Its Way Into Shanghai Sept. 5, Launching Fall
China Tour
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