From Lés Miserable to Mamma Mia, from musical comedy I Love You to authentic French musical Le Petit Prince, it seems that watching musicals has become a trendy thing to do for young people in Shanghai.

If you walk on the street and happen to ask several fashionably dressed young people what is the hottest word in Shanghai now, they will give you the same answer: "That's Mamma Mia!"

On July 6, Mamma Mia, the hottest play that now sweeps the global musical world, made its debut in Shanghai. The play soon aroused Shanghai people's enthusiasm for musicals. The organizer of the event said that on Aug 2 Mamma Mia would be staged in the city for the last day. From the very first day when the play was staged in Shanghai, the phone for booking the tickets had kept ringing. Last week, all the tickets for the show were sold out. It can be told for sure now that the one-month performance will be profitable.

This year, many musicals were staged in Shanghai. Many were considered as famous in musical circle. The box offices for these musical shows were extremely good.

"We are surprised to see that there are so many musical talents in China," said Zha Wei, organizer of the event.

China has a burgeoning market for musicals and there are many people who show a talent for musicals. The Broadway (Asia) Entertainment Company will surely find many musical talents in China and give them a chance to perform in world musical stage in future, she said.

(Chinanews.com August 4, 2007)