China Staged For Musicals

The Nederlander Organization, in coordination with a Chinese theatre management company, recently announced its plans to bring Broadway to Beijing with the formation of the Nederlander New Century Broadway China Network.

New Century will establish a circuit of "legitimate" venues within major cities around the country, as well as promote Broadway shows and help to develop an audience for live theatre in China, according to a statement.

Robert Nederlander explained that the network will be "the first company to focus on a long-term, countrywide approach to facility management, programming, ticketing, marketing and audience development to sustain the ongoing presentation of first-class Broadway productions throughout China."

Other investors in the venture include American International Group and Ticketmaster. The ticketing company has apparently signed on to be the exclusive authorized ticket provider for New Century’s theatrical events in China.

The network’s first scheduled tours will include "42nd Street," set to open in Fall 2007, and a run of "The King and I" in select markets, the statement said.

Broadway Asia Entertainment, a company that broke ground in 2004 by presenting the first Broadway musical to tour China, "The Sound of Music," will also produce Nederlander’s shows, the WSJ reported.