French musical Notre Dame de Paris celebrates 100th performance in Shanghai

The musical premiered at the Palais des Congrès in Paris in 1998. It features over 50 songs, including classics like Le Temps des Cathédrales and Belle. It has also garnered multiple awards.

The musical's journey in Shanghai began in 2011 with an English version running for 24 shows. When the original French version then arrived for the first time in 2019, it went viral - with two runs in 2019 and 2020 playing 40 sold-out shows to over 72,000 audiences. Last September's 18-show run was another sell-out with 33,091 tickets sold.

Nicolas Talar, the show's producer, noted that Shanghai joins Paris, Rome, and Seoul as one of the few cities to achieve 100 performances. "It's a remarkable achievement that speaks to the rapid growth of French musicals' appeal in China."

"Shanghai Culture Square has been actively promoting French musicals in China," said Fei Yuanhong, general manager of Shanghai Culture Square Theatre Management Co Ltd. "Notre Dame de Paris' tremendous success paved the way for subsequent French productions to flourish here."

Since Notre Dame de Paris' debut, Shanghai Culture Square has hosted 328 French theatrical productions seen by over 530,000 audiences, including hits like Roméo et Juliette, Mozart L'Opéra Rock, Les Misérables and more.

To commemorate the milestone, the venue has organized special events including meet-and-greets, lectures, workshops, and backstage tours, offering audiences deeper insight into this musical.