'Chicago: The Musical' takes to the stage in Shanghai

Chicago: The Musical made its Shanghai debut on Jun 19, at the AIA Grand Theatre and will have altogether eight shows in the city, running until Jun 23.

Created by Bob Fosse, the Broadway musical premiered in 1975 and celebrated its 35,000 show earlier this month.

A representation of American musicals, Chicago is a theatrical masterpiece with iconic choreography, music and designs, said Djalenga Scott, who plays Velma Kelly, one of the leading characters.

As the longest-running American musical in the world, it kicked off its new round of its China tour in Tianjin, went on to Wuxi of Jiangsu province before arriving in Shanghai. It will go on to Nanjing of Jiangsu province from Jun 27 to 30 and Qingdao of Shandong province July 5 to 7.

According to Qin Tiji, general manager of AIA Grand Theatre, Chicago was the second western musical production the theater presented since its opening last September, following Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies, the sequel to his most celebrated musical The Phantom of the Opera.

In the past nine months, AIA Grand Theatre has held 151 shows of 74 theater productions, which were attended by 150,000 people. "In the future, we are dedicated to bringing more top-level theater extravaganza from all over the world to Shanghai," Qin said.