STAGE

Chinese audiences will thrill to the sound of 76 trombones this spring when American musical comedy will be performed in China for the first time, it was announced Tuesday. Performances of “The Music Man” and “The Fantasticks” in Beijing in May are the result of a partnership between Chinese theater organizations and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., according to George C. White, president of the center. White said “The Music Man” will open a two--month run in Beijing on May 8 and “The Fantasticks” will open a tour of several Chinese cities May 9.