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| The Phantom of the Opera is on its Asian tour. Shanghai will be its final stop. (China Daily) |
The Phantom of the Opera will haunt the city of Shanghai once again this winter - and theater lovers could not be more excited. It's five months before the premiere, but almost half the tickets are already sold.
The groundbreaking musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber will be performed 60 times at the Shanghai Culture Square from December to February.
Shanghai Culture Square has launched an innovative multitiered pricing system for ticket sales, with three rounds having taken place since May 25. "Tickets less than 480 yuan sell out within hours every time," says Fei Yuanhong, director of programming at Shanghai Culture Square.
Directors of the theater suggest people book tickets early to secure their first choice of seats and favorable prices.
Ten years ago, The Phantom of the Opera was performed 100 times in Shanghai Grand Theater. "I remember the last round of 10 shows, so many people wanted to see it that the scalpers raised the ticket price several times higher," says Fei, who worked at Shanghai Grand Theater at the time.
Fei's job has allowed him to see the musical more than 50 times - probably more than anyone else in China. He says the new production has "richer colors, enhanced mysterious ambience and optimized stage designs".
"I was constantly asked, 'when will the Phantom come back to Shanghai'. Two years after Shanghai Culture Square opened to public, we can present the authentic Phantom of the Opera here," he says.
Phantom is the longest running show on Broadway, and was the first production to celebrate its 10,000th performance on Broadway in February 2012. The musical has won numerous theater awards since its premiere in London's West End in 1986 and New York's Broadway in 1988.
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