Cover Lea Salonga will perform at the opening concert of Hong Kong MusicalCon 2026 (Photo: Instagram/@msleasalonga)
Lea Salonga will perform at the opening concert of Hong Kong MusicalCon 2026 (Photo: Instagram/@msleasalonga)
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Set for January 2026, Hong Kong’s first musical convention will feature international and regional productions, including Filipino star Lea Salonga’s live performances, the return of the Leslie Cheung musical and a film concert of Rebecca Pan’s ’Pai Niang Niang’.
A major new musical convention, Hong Kong MusicalCon 2026, will take place from January 11 to February 8, 2026 at the West Kowloon Cultural District. The event, organised by local company MQ Musical Theatre, will present more than 20 programmes that feature nearly 100 international and local artists.
Confirmed highlights include the return of Tony Award-winning performer Lea Salonga, known for originating the role of Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway and lending her singing voice to Jasmine and Mulan in Disney animations. Her show, The Magic of Musicals: Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra × Lea Salonga, will be the opening production of the musical conference. Under the music direction of Gerard Salonga—Lea Salonga’s brother and the resident conductor of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra—the Broadway singer will be joined by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong-based music educator and actor Crisel Consunji and musical theatre actor Roy Rolloda on January 11 and 12, 2026, at Xiqu Centre.
The event marks Lea Salonga’s first live appearance in Hong Kong since 2016. Expect beloved songs from classic Broadway repertoire.
Don’t miss: A new Hong Kong stage musical dedicated to Leslie Cheung is set to premiere this August
Above Lea Salonga will perform at the opening concert of Hong Kong MusicalCon 2026 (Photo: Instagram/@msleasalonga)
Lea Salonga will perform at the opening concert of Hong Kong MusicalCon 2026 (Photo: Instagram/@msleasalonga)
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The festival will also bring back Café I Do–The Musical, which is a tribute musical to Canto-pop icon Leslie Cheung that premiered last year. Featuring original cast members Kimman Wong, Mischa Ip, Fred Cheng, Freddy Au Yeung and veteran stage actor Tam Wai-kuen, the show continues its exploration of relationships and nostalgia through Cheung’s classic songs.
The Addams Family Musical, a Broadway favourite, will be presented in an innovative bilingual format in both Cantonese and English. The production stars Lyman Heung, J.Arie, and Sinnie Ng, bridging international theatre traditions with local talent.
Hong Kong audiences will also see an adapted version of Ephemere the Little Witch, a family musical originally from France and is now presented by The Hong Kong Musical Institute. The production combines puppetry and stage magic and has previously toured extensively across France, North Africa and the famous Avignon Festival.
Above From left: J.Arie, Sinnie Ng of local girl band Lolly Talk and Lyman Heung, who will perform at Hong Kong MusicalCon 2026 (Photo: courtesy of MQ Musical Theatre)
From left: J.Arie, Sinnie Ng of local girl band Lolly Talk and Lyman Heung, who will perform at Hong Kong MusicalCon 2026 (Photo: courtesy of MQ Musical Theatre)
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Adding to the regional collaboration, Singapore will bring its Mandarin musical Journey to Singapura to Hong Kong for the first time. Written by pioneering writer and musician Liang Wern Fook, the show reimagines Journey to the West through Singaporean history and language, blending Singlish, Mandarin and local references to showcase Southeast Asian musical creativity.
Beyond stage musicals, Hong Kong MusicalCon 2026 will feature a diverse series of concerts and cabaret events.
Growing Up: An Evening with Jordan Cheng will see the acclaimed local musical actor, who recently took the lead role in West Kowloon’s The Impossible Trial and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, reflect on his career through song and monologue.
Another standout programme is the film concert of Pai Niang Niang: The Last Osmanthus Blossom, created in 1972 by Rebecca Pan, the actor and singer known for bringing Chinese music to the West. The production is based on the Chinese legend of the White Snake, and is widely regarded as the city’s first Broadway-style Mandarin musical.
The Musical Cabaret Series will feature some of Hong Kong’s best-known and emerging musical performers performing close to the audience in an informal atmosphere with beverages served during performances.
In case you missed it: Meet Rebecca Pan, the 1950s Hong Kong star who performed at jazz legend Louis Armstrong’s concert and put the spotlight on qipao
In addition to public performances, the festival will introduce a musical competition and masterclass series designed to foster new creative talent. Workshops led by playwright Cheung Fei-fan and lyricist Chris Shum will focus on disciplines such as singing, dance, scriptwriting and composition.
More than 300 young performers are expected to participate in the competition, with winners invited to present their work at The Box, Freespace. The initiative aims to create practical opportunities for up-and-coming artists and to support the sustainable development of Hong Kong’s musical theatre ecosystem.
The organiser expects an attendance of more than 20,000. At a press conference last week, the team said this inaugural edition demonstrates a model that integrates commercial productions, regional partnerships and educational outreach. In its vision, future editions of MusicalCon will continue to develop Hong Kong’s relevance in the Asia-Pacific musical circuit.
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Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
