Lunchbox Theatrical Productions
Since its founding in 1992, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions has established an unrivalled reputation for producing top quality international entertainment in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Europe, South Africa, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Originally formed by James Cundall and a group of Hong Kong businessmen who met during their lunch hour, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions soon made a name for itself by presenting West End musicals in Hong Kong. From 1998 Lunchbox Theatrical Productions expanded its reach to include Singapore, bringing concert tours and boutique shows to a new audience.
Concurrent with his theatrical pursuits, James Cundall worked in the finance industry for 12 years as Director and Acting Managing Director of the Private Client Business of Global Asset Management (GAM) in London and Hong Kong, and later as Chief Executive of the Asian/Japanese business of Rothschild Asset Management, running offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.
In 1999, James temporarily put Lunchbox Theatrical Productions on the shelf and moved to Sydney to work with leading live entertainment producers IMG and, more recently, ICA, and was responsible for a vast array of theatrical productions including major musicals, concert tours, solo artists, plays and spectacular shows in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
Since 1992 James Cundall has produced over 70 live entertainment productions, including major musicals such as Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Miss Saigon, Chicago, Singin’ In The Rain, Cabaret, Oliver, Fame, South Pacific, Barnum, The New Rocky Horror Show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Saturday Night Fever, The Full Monty, Buddy The Musical, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
James has also worked with a number of international artists from the worlds of opera, light entertainment, musical theatre and rock. These include Andrea Bocelli, Dame Shirley Bassey, Bryn Terfel, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Jose Carreras, Renee Fleming, Ricky Martin, Lulu, Michael Crawford, Michael Ball, Elaine Paige, Lesley Garrett, Anthony Warlow, David Campbell, David Helfgott, Clive James, Pam Ayres, Ennio Marchetto, The Hollies, The Beach Boys, The Doobie Brothers, Jamie Oliver, Englebert Humperdinck, The Seekers, The Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Hale and Pace, Roy Chubby Brown and The Soweto Gospel Choir.
In addition James has produced a wide range of spectacular shows - Alegria from Cirque du Soleil, Riverdance, Stomp, Tap Dogs, Slava’s Snowshow, Umoja, The Tokyo Shock Boys, Circus Oz, Santa’s Kingdom, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, The Shaolin Kung Fu Monks, Raise the Red Lantern, Grumpy Old Women, The Imperial Ice Stars’ productions of The Nutcracker on Ice, The Sleeping Beauty on Ice and Swan Lake on Ice, children’s show Hi-5, the Melbourne and Sydney Affordable Art Shows, and The Last Night of the Proms for the Hong Kong Handover; as well as critically acclaimed plays - The Hollow Crown starring Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Donald Sinden, Scaramouche Jones starring Pete Postlethwaite, Talking Heads starring Dame Maggie Smith, Stuff Happens by David Hare, The Blue Room, The Complete Works of Shakespeare and The Woman in Black.
In 2004 James Cundall returned to the UK to re-establish Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, which now has subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. The company continues to bring top quality live entertainment to audiences in five continents.
He also established The Imperial Ice Stars with fellow producer Tony Mercer, who is widely regarded as the world’s leading creator of theatre on ice shows. The Imperial Ice Stars feature 24 World, European and National Championship skaters performing Olympic-level skating in the intimacy of the theatre stage. Their productions – The Sleeping Beauty on Ice, Swan Lake on Ice and Cinderella on Ice – continue to garner outstanding reviews across the world.
2008 sees a return UK tour of The Imperial Ice Stars’ The Sleeping Beauty on Ice, including performances at some of England’s finest stately homes in the specially created Tented Ice Palace. The Imperial Ice Stars’ brand new production of Cinderella on Ice premieres in New Zealand and Australia in 2008 before commencing an 8 month tour of the UK as part of its two year world tour. Other productions for 2008/09 include We Will Rock You in Singapore and Hong Kong, Barney the Dinosaur in Singapore and Hong Kong, Thomas the Tank Engine in Hong Kong, Abbamania in Singapore and New Zealand, The 39 Steps in Hong Kong, Cats in Singapore and Hong Kong, and The Ice Factor - an open-air Christmas ice rink in York (UK).