Why West End's biggest stars are drawn to the East

Strong work ethic

Like De Keyser, Ellis is full of praise for the standard of the facilities, calling them "from front of house to backstage, second to none", and she has also been struck by the dedication and professionalism of China's theatrical workers.

"From sounds to lights, to musicians to backstage, their work ethic is amazing — they care so much and they want to get it right. It's top-class professionalism throughout the whole system.

"The talent there is amazing, too — some of the musicians I've worked with have blown my mind. I know there's a big scene of young talented people who are coming up and want to be in shows and want to travel and be part of that theatrical world, so it's great to see."

Serin Kasif is business development director at Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group, which has been taking his shows and productions including Cats, Evita and The Phantom of the Opera to China for more than 20 years.

She said the company's relations with local producers such as SMG Live were vital to its touring success in China. "For a show like Phantom, the decision on where we go and for how long is made very closely with our partners — we don't pretend to know what Chinese audiences want, which is why we work with producers and venues on what they want, we're in constant conversation to find what is the best fit," she explained.

China's long theatrical tradition meant that local audiences were excited to welcome visiting shows, she said, but also that they were discerning and knowledgeable about what they wanted to see.

"Chinese audiences, in my experience, are incredibly informed with a good sense of which titles are hits across the world, and which resonate with what they want to see, so they're not coming blindly … they make very informed decisions."

Phantom will return to China in the fall, as part of what Kasif called a "pipeline of productions" that continues to take shows to China, and as the Really Useful Group looks back at more than two decades of work in China, it remains committed to strengthening its ties with Chinese producers and audiences.

"These are incredibly inspiring relationships, working with the best in class in China, and while they would probably say that they learn a lot from us, I would say we've learnt a lot from them as well — I'm constantly excited when I get to work on projects with partners in China," said Kasif. "We want to take more of our shows and be able to honor our Chinese audiences, because they are such a loyal fanbase."

Like the Really Useful Group, Royo also foresees a busy future in China, including more concerts by West End stars, and another major Agatha Christie production. But in a nod to its roots in two countries approach, there is the prospect of some of China's top performers making the reverse journey.

"What shows we can bring here is something we do discuss a lot," said De Keyser. "For many years, London has been a hub of some of the world's best theater so I think there would be real interest in bringing Chinese theater here, partly for the Chinese population, but also because of so many British people's interest in a culture as rich as China's."

Contact the writer at julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com.