West End production finds new stage as China's musical market grows

When the opening notes of Michael Jackson's music filled the Pingshan Performing Arts Center in Shenzhen, some members of the audience had traveled hundreds of kilometers to be there.

Among them was Yang Yan, who flew from Chengdu in southwest China specifically to see Can You Feel It , a London West End production celebrating the music and performances of Michael Jackson.

"It was the first time I've ever traveled to another city just to see a show," Yang said.

"I trust the quality of the production, and I wanted to hear some of Michael Jackson's classics and experience the stage design and choreography." The Shenzhen performances mark the production's South China premiere, following stops in several other Chinese cities.

For the team behind the show, bringing the production to Shenzhen was partly about finding a new audience in one of China's most dynamic metropolitan regions.

"Shenzhen is a new city and Can You Feel It is a new show.

It felt like the two things went well together," said Phil Watts, general manager of the production.

"When we saw this theater, we thought this was the perfect place to introduce the show to south China." A growing audience for international productions China's appetite for live performances has continued to expand.

The country's performance market generated 83.72 billion yuan (about $11.6 billion) in revenue in 2025, up 5.19 percent year on year, according to the China Association of Performing Arts.

Musical theater was among the stronger-performing categories.

Box office revenue increased 7.55 percent from a year earlier, while audience numbers grew by more than 10 percent.

For international producers, however, the change is not only about the size of the market.

Watts said Chinese audiences have become increasingly sophisticated in what they choose to watch, aided by social media and greater exposure to international productions.

John Marr, music director of Can You Feel It , said the response during the production's China tour had surprised the team.