SINGAPORE - A SINGAPORE theatre company is staging 'Victor/Victoria' for the first time in Asia, more than a decade after it left Broadway and with jazz singer Laura Fygi in the role that actress Julie Andrews made famous.

The musical comedy, written by Blake Edwards and set to the music of the legendary Henry Mancini, opens in Singapore on Nov 9 and is the latest in a handful of Broadway productions to be staged in the Southeast Asian country.

Loretta Chen, the artistic director of local production company Zebra Crossing, said 'Victor/Victoria' was an ex-Broadway play with a difference.

'We wanted to really show that Singapore has talent, that Asia has talent, so instead of bringing in a Broadway show wholesale, with a totally foreign cast, we bought the rights and incorporated local and Asian talent. We felt that across Asia, there's a desire for adult musicals. In Singapore, two in five people watch theatre, and musicals are their top choice. And we want to show that Asians can make their mark,' she added.

'Victor/Victoria' tells the story of a penniless soprano, Victoria, who pretends she is a man named Victor to boost her career, and entertains as a female impersonator. She then becomes the toast of Paris, but complications arise when a Chicago mobster sees the act and falls in love with the star.

The Broadway production, which was based on the 1982 film 'Victor Victoria' and directed by Edwards, opened in 1995 and ran for almost two years. -- REUTERS