Curtain Rises on 8th Shanghai International Musical Festival

The Shanghai International Musical Festival, which began this week at Shanghai Culture Square, will feature an international concert series as well as an original musical showcase.

In its eighth edition, the festival continues to attract high-quality musical acts from home and abroad. A musical forum and a singing competition open to the public will also be held to give musical enthusiasts a pathway to their stage goals.

Musical Stars Live Concerts feature nine singers from various countries: Alfie Boe from London's West End, Lea Salonga from Broadway, Laurent Ban from France, German singers Drew Sarich, Maya Hakvoort, Jan Ammann, Martin Markert, Antonia Kalinowski, and Annemieke Van Dam from the Netherlands. From March to May, they will perform 12 concerts at the Culture Square.

Two French musicals are slated for April and May.

After its China debut last year, French composer Félix Gray and Canadian director Gilles Maheu are returning with their musical "Don Juan" in April. Gian Marco Schiaretti, the Italian vocalist, will reprise the lead.

Philippe Hattemberg and Stéphane Brunello, legendary songwriting collaborators, turn French playwright Edmond Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac" into a musical. It will premiere in Shanghai in May with French stars Laurent Ban and Chiara Di Bari.

Four Chinese musicals – "No Longer Human," adapted from Osamu Dazai's novel of the same name; the Cantonese version of "I Am What I Am;" a new musical called "The Pirate Queen" about the little-known legend of Chinese pirate Shi Xianggu; and "The Orphan of Zhao" – will be staged from March to May.

Shanghai Culture Square's WeChat account, "SCS_Ticketing," has all the information, and fans can buy tickets as well.