Madrid has established itself as the third world capital of musicals, trailing only New York and London. Madrid’s Gran Vía now resembles London’s West End or New York’s Broadway, with three million tickets sold annually. This cultural boom particularly attracts tourists, who account for nearly 22% of musical audiences in the city.
The growing demand has sparked fierce business competition between two major players: the multinational Stage Entertainment, backed by Disney, and the Spanish company SOM Produce, which recently received an investment of around 25 million euros from Gala Capital.
Stage Entertainment is responsible for the explosion of musical theater in Spain, with major productions like Cabaret, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and The Lion King, its flagship show in Madrid. Since its debut in 2011 at the Teatro Lope de Vega, The Lion King has performed over 3,000 shows and attracted 4.5 million spectators, becoming the third most successful musical worldwide after The Phantom of the Opera and Chicago. However, the limited availability of theaters restricts Stage Entertainment’s ability to premiere new productions, although they recently had a successful run of Anastasia at the Teatro Coliseum. The company aims to open a third theater in Madrid by the end of the year to bring new titles such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Aladdin, or Frozen.
On the other hand, SOM Produce, founded in 2011, stands out with its flagship production Billy Elliot, which has been running in Madrid for two years with over 500 performances, making Madrid the third city with the most shows after London and New York. The company manages key Madrid theaters such as Rialto, Nuevo Teatro Alcalá, and Calderón, and since 2018 owns the majority stake in Teatro Nuevo Apolo. Besides Billy Elliot, it produces other shows like El Mago Pop and Carmina Burana. Gala Capital’s recent investment will strengthen SOM Produce’s financial structure and enable its expansion into Latin America.
Billy Elliot is a very demanding production that required a specific renovation of the Nuevo Teatro Alcalá and the creation of a dance school for the child actors. The exquisite soundtrack, composed by Elton John, along with performances by Natalia Millán and Carlos Hipólito, have contributed to the musical’s success.
This business rivalry between Stage Entertainment and SOM Produce drives musical tourism in Madrid, generating around 250 million euros annually, with more than 25,000 attendees every weekend and 70% of the audience traveling specifically to see these productions.
Finally, two major Spanish productions have stood out for their quality and ambition: El Médico and 33 El Musical. El Médico was born after Iván Macías’ persistence in acquiring Noah Gordon’s rights and required an investment of 4.5 million euros. Its complex set includes a 9-ton rotating floor. Meanwhile, 33 El Musical, which tells the life of Jesus of Nazareth, is staged in an innovative temporary theater at Ifema with record capacity and 25 actors performing simultaneously, offering an immersive and technically impeccable show.
