Phantom set to appear

The first Chinese production of the Phantom of the Opera will premiere at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on Tuesday, and theater lovers in China are clearly looking forward to it, if the audience numbers of a recent livestream are anything to go by.

A few days after the Phantom of the Opera had its last curtain call on Broadway on April 16, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, which is behind the first Chinese production of the musical, lit up the musical's signature chandelier at its premises on April 19.

The lighting of the 3-meter-wide chandelier, which has more than 6,000 crystal beads and weighs 1 metric ton, was livestreamed on multiple internet platforms and watched by more than 1 million people.

One of the most popular musical productions in the world, the Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber is the longest-running show in Broadway history. Since its debut in 1986, the musical has been performed in 85 cities around the world.