Nederlander Worldwide

Thirty five years ago,the Chinese ping-pong team’s visit to the University of Michigan signified a marked improvement in US-China relations.This historic event caught the attention of Robert Nederlander Sr., then a Regent at the University of Michigan, who shortly thereafter headed a delegation of professors and scholars to China. The delegation, which met with senior Chinese governmental representatives and leading administrators, was one of the first to travel to China since the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.

In 2000, Robert Nederlander Jr. renewed the Nederlanders’ interest in China by exploring the viability of  bringing Broadway shows to Chinese markets.

In 2005, under the Chinese Revised Regulations on the Administration of Commercial Performing Arts, Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment and a Chinese partner formed Nederlander New Century, the first foreign joint venture permitted to operate in the Chinese performing arts industry.

The Nederlanders organized a circuit of theatres in China in order to bring first-class dramatic and musical productions, from Broadway and elsewhere, to major Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Xi’an, Wuhan and Tianjin.

In 2007, Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment arranged for its joint venture to present the Tony-Award-winning 42nd Street in nine Chinese cities, the first time a Broadway show had toured so extensively throughout China. Commencing in September, 2008, a ten city tour of Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida began in Shanghai. In December 2008, Fame, a collaboration between Nederlander Worldwide and the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, was presented in Mandarin in Beijing.

SOUL OF SHAOLIN marks Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment’s second collaboration with the Eastern Shanghai International Culture Film and Television Group, a major Shanghai-based entertainment company. Last year, the two companies presented The Dream of the Red Chamber at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall.  The production was given as a “cultural exchange gift” from the city of Shanghai to the city of New York.   

Now, the two companies are working together again to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the presentation of SOUL OF SHAOLIN at the Marquis Theatre between January 13th and 31st. SOUL OF SHAOLIN will be the first production from the People’s Republic of China ever to appear on Broadway.