Mamma mia, here we go again. Following the shift of manufacturers from west to east, it is the entertainment industry’s turn to make the long march to China: on Monday, the musical based on Abba’s hit songs premiered in Shanghai – the first West End show to be performed in Mandarin.

That western companies are falling over each other to gain a foothold in Asia is not surprising. How can they resist it? Money money money is surely on the mind of the Chinese hosts as well: the show is produced by the state-owned China Arts and Entertainment Group. Spandex jumpsuits and cheesy Swedish pop have long enjoyed great and inexplicable success in the west. But can the musical count on a similar reception in China?

There is no denying the Chinese enthusiasm for western theatre. Shakespeare’s works have long circulated in China, and when Wen Jiabao visited the UK last month, the Chinese premier insisted on visiting Stratford-upon-Avon to see the Royal Shakespeare Company. Yet it is still a bold decision to foist a frothy rhinestoned comedy on a country once more used to being subjected to revolutionary epics and government-sanctioned operas.