The Shanghai opening of classic Broadway musical Kiss Me, Kate has been called off by organizers in an eleventh-hour decision, following a poor turnout for its Chinese mainland debut last week in Beijing.
Along with the performances scheduled to start at People Grand Theater tomorrow, proceeding shows in Guangzhou and Shenzhen have been cut from the tour, organizer Shanghai All Star Culture Promotion Company said on Monday. But the company declined to disclose why the curtains were being drawn shut early before showtime.
Local residents are, however, guaranteed full ticket refunds at the theater on Jiujiang Road in Huangpu district from Thursday to Monday between 6 pm and 8 pm, daily from 10 am to 5:30 pm until October 10, or via designated ticket agencies around town.
Cole Porter's 1948 comeback ran in the capital last week despite only 25 percent of tickets having been sold, said critics. A similar picture had formed in Shanghai as of on Monday, when only some 2,000 seats – a third of those up for grabs – had been handed out, according to Wu Yifei, box office manager at People Grand Theater.
"It really has not been selling well," she told the Global Times on Monday.
Wu said that because the organizer was bringing over a substitute cast instead of the original one, fans likely shied away feeling that ticket prices – starting at 180 yuan ($28), lower than the 80 yuan-tickets available for Ultimate Broadway, coincidentally showing during the same period – were set too high.
Without the renowned reputations of Mama Mia and Cats, musical like Kiss me, Kate have not been typically well received by local audiences, especially when shown at unpopular venues, according to Yu Rongjun, chief director of Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. He went on to say that organizers need to first grow a healthy appetite for English-language musicals in the city before attempting to satisfy the market.
"They should be able to gauge the overall feeling of the market and develop that by bringing quality shows to Shanghai," he told the Global Times on Monday. "They also need to cut costs down as much as possible."
Yu said the decision to cut the show altogether ultimately bodes unwell for confidence in the city's English-language music theater.
"After all, it would have at least been a valuable learning experience," he said.