JBroadway said: "I'd be curious to know what theatre people saw in these non-European countries. FosseTharp, what did you see in Wellington? lachri5 - what shows did you see in those Asian cities, and what wereyour experiences like? Do you mind if I ask if you spend a lot of time in Asia, or if this was on a big trip? Just curious. I have literally zero knowledge about what theatre might be like in Macau, for example.
When I was in Japan, I saw some traditional Kabuki while in Tokyo, and I saw some traditional Noh theatre when I was in Kyoto. I enjoyed the Kabuki quite a bit more than the Noh, as its a much more accessible art form. Plus with the Kabuki, the venue alone is one of the most impressive I've ever seen."
The most interesting production I saw in Asia is probably the Japanese version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, where they changed the setting to Edo period in ancient Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUkHhPCi4xI . I also enjoyed Spamalot, A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder, La Cage aux Folles among others in Japanese. The show I saw in Macau was an international tour of The Addams Family. I was visiting Hong Kong and saw Avenue Q in Cantonese (loved it), and Addams Family just happened to be touring in Macau (it was ok, like a non-equity production). An original Cantonese musical in Hong Kong based on The Good Person of Szechwan was also very memorable.
Before I moved to the US, it was a short trip to Japan from Shanghai, where I lived for 10+ years. Since I moved over here, I usually try to stop by Japan (I love the food and culture) when I visit home. I have not seen a kabuki or a noh show yet. For some reason, the noh masks creep me out. When I was in China, there were not as many to see back then. Occasional international tours (e.g. Phantom, Cats, Mamma Mia, Wicked, Elisabeth, Ghost, Body Guard), some translated productions (Mamma Mia, Cats, War Horse, Avenue Q, How to Succeed, Into the Woods, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast), some original shows. My absolute favorite is the Shanghai production of Sleep No More. Granted it's not a musical or a play, but it was so well done, I saw it way too many times than I'd like to admit.
I only saw one show in Seoul, during an overnight stay between 2 connecting flights, which is Frank Wildhorn's Mata Hari. But I don't speak Korean, it was hard for me to understand what was happening.
Updated On: 8/16/21 at 08:15 PM