SMG launches residential live show brand

By Zhang Kun in Shanghai | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2024-08-21 16:53

Shanghai Media Group launched SEE YOU IN SHANGHAI, a new residential live show brand, on Aug 20.

In the past few years, SMG Live has been a pioneer in China's show industry, exploring residential shows as a new business model, and successfully hosting the long-term performance of productions such as the acrobatic show Era, the immersive theater production Sleep No More, as well as dance theater shows The Eternal Wave and The Crested Ibises, according to Wang Jian'er, president of the SMG Group. These shows have attracted large number of tourists to the city, and made "see a good show in Shanghai" a first choice for visitors from home and abroad, he said.

By introducing the new brand SEE YOU IN SHANGHAI, SMG Live hoped to attract even more audiences from other parts of China and abroad, said Ma Chencheng, president of SMG Live.

The company announced the first series of residential shows of the new brand.

Poster of *Six*. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Six, a musical written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, was adapted from the true story of six ex-wives of King Henry VIII. It has won 35 international awards since its premiere in 2017. Starting in May next year, the original English musical production will be a residential show at the Majestic Theatre in Shanghai.

Poster of *Les Miserables*. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In November, Les Miserables the Arena Spectacular, produced by Cameron Mackintosh, will kick off a residential show of eight weeks at Shanghai Grand Theatre from Nov 4, 2025. The production commemorated the 40th anniversary of the musical's record-breaking performance at London's West End. With new stage designs, it features a large British cast and staff totaling more than 110 people.

Poster of *Arcane: The Immersive Theatrical Experience*. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Arcane: The Immersive Theatrical Experience is a spinoff production for the TV series Arcane, which is based on the online strategy game League of Legends by Riot Games. The immersive theater is being made by SMG Live in collaboration with Punchdrunk, the creator of Sleep No More. It will open next year at the Shanghai Hotel, a 40-year-old facility at the heart of Jing'an district.