French musicals have gained fans in a communist-ruled nation that sees itself as the heir of the Paris Commune, a revolutionary government that briefly ruled the French capital in 1871. Notre-Dame de Paris, which is based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, was one of the first French musicals to break into the Chinese market in 2002. More than half of the shows that made their debut in China last year were English-language musicals, while 35 percent were French, German and Austrian. The best-selling French musical was Mozart, L’Opera Rock, which came in fifth, followed by Romeo et Juliette. Yu Xinyue (俞心悅), who produces The Red and the Black in China, said the distinctive French touch is the ability to express emotions through musicals.

Source: Taipei Times November 07, 2019 16:08 UTC