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With live entertainment making a strong comeback, Base Entertainment Asia is set to deliver yet another blockbuster line-up this year. CEO Chantal Prudhomme shares how it is forging ahead with a commitment to growth and innovation

- Hashirin Nurin Hashimi

As CEO of Base Entertainment Asia, the leading presenter of live entertainment in the region, Chantal Prudhomme is often asked about her favourite musical. Her answer? “Wicked—I love the message of friendship and female empowerment, about embracing differences and finding acceptance and love.”

Known for its iconic songs such as Defying Gravity and Popular, the musical “also resonates with audiences here”, she shares. It was staged at the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands in 2011 and 2016—and will return for a third run this March. Other musicals on the line-up this year: the Asia premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard starring singer Sarah Brightman this month; the return of Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in May; and the Asia premiere of The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale in August.

Prudhomme also counts Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, staged in Singapore last April, as a favourite. “I saw Hamilton many years ago and wondered if it’d draw audiences here,” she admits. The musical explores the life of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and his role in the American Revolution. “It’s a different genre— modern, youthful, with [elements of ] hip-hop—[featuring slang] that’s distinctly American, which isn’t necessarily familiar in Asia.”