British singer Elaine Paige performs at the Beijing Exhibition Theater on December 14, 2008. [sina.com.cn]

Elaine Paige, the "first lady of British musical theater", kicked off her career-anniversary world tour on Sunday with a sensational show in Beijing.

"Good evening. I love Beijing," Paige said in Mandarin as she greeted her Chinese audience when she appeared on stage at the Beijing Exhibition Theater.

She then furthered her connection with the audience by performing her classics "Memory" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", both of which were popular hits in China.

Belting out a rich repertoire, Paige took her time to explain what each song meant to her before she sang it.

The show was the first stop on 60-year-old Paige's world tour which marks the 40th anniversary of her stage debut. She will next perform in Shanghai on Tuesday.

Paige's prolific career began in 1968 when she was chosen to star in the musical "Hair" in London's West End. She made her Broadway debut in "Sunset Boulevard" in 1996, and is best-known for acting in Andrew Lloyd Webber's widely-loved musicals "Cats" and "Evita", which respectively popularized the hits "Memory" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina".

(CRI December 15, 2008)