US Tours playing in other countries?

Is it common for National Tours of Broadway shows to play outside the USA??

I don't know if that's a stupid question but the US National Tour of Billy Elliot will be performing over here in São Paulo, Brazil during the entire month of August and it got me curious. I know there are international tours, but never heard of National tours traveling abroad. Does this happen often?

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Updated On: 7/23/13 at 12:41 PM

The Non-Equity tours of RENT went to Canada and Japan frequently.

You're right, LizzieCurry, I completely forgot about Canada! =S

Asking about shows playing outside of North America would've been more appropriate...

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One is union sponsored and the other isn't.

The non-eq Shrek tour went to Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.

The equity tour of In the Heights played Tokyo. I believe the non-equity tour of Hairspray played Japan and South Korea.

"In The Heights" played San Juan. And while PR is a Commonwealth of the United States ; it was the first time a US tour played there since Chorus Line and Ain't Misbehavin were brought in back to back in the early 80's.

Updated On: 7/23/13 at 01:52 PM

The 2009 equity tour of Dreamgirls went out of the country I believe.

I know that the no equity Dreamgirsl tour is in Asia right now.

Two oldies:

In the early 1950's, there was an acclaimed national tour of Porgy and Bess. It made major stars of Leontyne Price and William Warfield, who met and married while doing the show, and confirmed the show's status as an American classic. This production was the first to restore much of the music that had been cut from earlier productions. This tour eventually played not only Broadway (at the Ziegfeld) but much of Europe, Moscow, and Latin America under the auspices of the State Department.

The first national tour of Hello, Dolly!, starring Mary Martin, played across the U.S. and then had stops in Japan, Korea and for our troops in Vietnam before settling in at the Drury Lane as the first London production of the show. NBC made a 50 minute documentary about that production, which includes some wonderful production footage, and it's on youtube.

Updated On: 7/24/13 at 02:03 AM

A buddy was on an international tour of Phantom. It played Anchorage, Honolulu, Seoul, Toyko, Singapore, Tel Aviv and then Stockholm. He dropped out of the tour after that time -- 12 months was enough of hotels.