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Following the Sound of Music, the Second Broadway Musical is Landing on Hangzhou If ¡°the King¡± Comes, Can Audience Be Far Behind? |
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| Source: Hangzhou Daily 2007-4-7 |
Reporter: Chen Jiuzhi Intern: Zhang Mei
Shortly after ¡°Broadway China Network¡± was set up in Beijing, it couldn¡¯t wait to show its thump card in Chinese performance market. Yesterday, Hangzhou Theater announced that 3 classic musicals of the King and I (also called Anna and the King), one of the legends in musical history, will be given in the Theater during the golden week at Labor Day, which is also the debut of Hangzhou Theater after it joined in the network. If that goes well, audiences in Hangzhou will enjoy more classic Broadway musicals on their doorway.
The King and I will also be shown in Shenzhen for 7 times. In the next 3 years, China will not appear in their performance schedule.
Same Broadway, different operations
In the past, ¡°Broadway¡± had been a remote and mysterious word for Chinese audiences. But the fascinating stage effects created by brilliant stage, splendid costume, and sounding music, and enthusiasm group dancing appeal to a great number of audiences.
Before long, the minimum appearance fee for Broadway musicals is RMB 4 million every 8 performances. High cost and huge risk scared many performance agencies away.
When Broadway took the initiative to show a low-key profile and performance agencies screwed up their courage, Broadway seems no longer far away, but touchable.
As early as Broadway China Network was established, Ke Chaoping, general manager of Hangzhou Theatre once tried to contact U.S. side with an intention to introduce the King and I into Hangzhou. The minimum requirement of 8 performances and RMB 4 million of appearance fees set a high threshold and had been testing the patience of both parties. In 2005 when Hangzhou imported the Sound of Music, a classic Broadway musical, for the first time, this threshold, like a mountain, erected in front of us. Hangzhou crossed over the mountain, but made a blunder.
Ke Chaoping dared not take the risk. Instead, he chose to join Broadway China Network in time. The advantages are appealing: sharing profits, risks and realizing scale benefit from importing all classic Broadway musicals; introducing advanced operational mode of Broadway in terms of theatre management, program schedule arrangement, ticketing, etc.
What benefits will bring to ordinary audiences? Ke Chaoping figured out in detail, ¡°the total cost of introducing the Sound of Music into Hangzhou was RMB 4 million. When joining the network, the cost of importing another classic musical - the King and I reduces to RMB 2 million, and only 3 performances will be put on. Consequently, the ticket price will decrease. This is just the beginning. If the show achieves a huge success, Hangzhou Theatre will import more and better classic Broadway musicals. At present, 42nd Street is under negotiation.
Same masterpieces, different market?
As a classic Broadway musical, the Sound of Music enjoyed a good reputation, but did not win market share. This time, the ¡°King¡± arrives. Will the fate be same?
Undoubtedly, like the Sound of Music, the King and I is the most well-known musical and a legend in Broadway. It has won numberless applaud and prizes, including 6 Oscar awards, 8 Tony awards for best musical. Since its debut show in 1951, it has been staged for 56 years and will continue to do so.
The ¡°King¡± also inherited typical quality of Broadway: multiple themes such as east and west, civil and barbarian, tyranny and democracy, men and women, can be found in this play. This musical is adapted from Anna and the King written by Margaret Landon, which tells a love story between a British governess and the King of Siam: In the 1860s, the King of Siam invited a British governess Anna to teach his 7 children royal rituals. Anna had the strong and stubborn King understand the value of humanity liberation, and she herself was touched by oriental culture and finally won the love of the King.
Ke Chaoping expressed that the Musical will be shown 3 times in Hangzhou. We have 4,800 seats altogether, more than 2,000 have been booked by groups. At present, only 1,500 tickets are available. The tickets selling at RMB 280-680 account for two thirds of the total. At this price, we do not need to worry about seat capacity. |
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