Majestic Theater makes a royal return with the China debut of SIX the musical

After ten months of renovation, the 84-year-old Majestic Theater on Jiangning Road has reopened in royal purple, marking its grand return with the China debut of the hit West End musical SIX on Wednesday.

The show, which reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII as a pop-rock idol group reclaiming their stories, will stage 64 performances through June 15.

It's expected to draw 80,000 theatergoers. When tickets first went on sale last October, nearly 10,000 seats for the initial eight shows were snapped up within three hours, with 600 orchestra seats gone in just three minutes.

Created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, SIX premiered in the UK in 2017 and has since become a global phenomenon, winning 35 international awards including a Tony. Now, its music echoes through one of Shanghai's most storied cultural landmarks.

Built in 1941, the Majestic Theater has hosted generations of legendary artists and iconic productions.

While it has undergone several restorations over the decades, the latest renovation represents its most comprehensive upgrade yet–preserving its Art Deco elegance while reimagining the space for modern audiences.

The overhaul focused on three core areas: stage mechanics, infrastructure, and audience experience.

The stage has been structurally reinforced and outfitted with smart technology to support technically demanding productions.

Backstage, the dressing rooms have been reconfigured with added showers, professional laundry equipment, and improved ventilation systems.

For audiences, the theater now features a redesigned first-floor "theater social lounge" and a second-floor beverage bar serving themed cocktails, freshly brewed coffee, and light refreshments.

Seating angles have been adjusted to improve sightlines, and the orchestra pit has been reengineered into a flexible performance space to enable immersive, "zero-distance" experiences for shows like SIX.