SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical hits China’s stage in Mandarin later this year, according to Newsweek. The high demand for musicals in China is setting a trend in Broadway shows translated into Chinese. “Les Misérables” will open in November. An adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz” is in production for 2009.
The production company, “Broadway Asia Entertainment, ran musical camps in Shenzhen and Shanghai, training about 40 students, including some who are expected to appear in the company’s Mandarin production of “SpongeBob” later this year,” reports Newsweek correspondent Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop.
“[British producer Cameron] Mackintosh has also made a commitment to train Chinese writers, performers and production crews in the hope that they might create original Chinese musicals, which could ultimately find their way back to Broadway and the West End.”
More about musicals in China, from CDT.
