How People Perceive Musicals in Taiwan

I don't like it.

Of course, that's because people here aren't familiar with musicals. But even so, theatre isn't something missing from the culture.

Basically, there's something missing in people's general esthetics. A tour company of Mamma Mia (from Australia, I believe) is coming at the end of August and there has been lots of television personalities talking about it. But the way they talk about the Mamma Mia is like it is one of the greatest musicals ever made. I don't even know on what these people base their opinions. They compare it to Phantom of the Opera or Cats (both Llyod Webber, both purely commercial). If they don't know much, they shouldn't just make opinions like that. The words "greatest" and "most successful" (I'm translating directly from Chinese) are two different things. Any art form that is great is usually successful. However, succeesful doesn't imply great. Mamma Mia is a fun and enjoyable but the book is rather awful. Plus, everyone goes to see it only because of the music by Abba. That's it.

I went to see it in Japan and I enjoyed it a lot. But nothing from that show (apart those songs by Abba) really leaves anything substantial in my memory.

A great musical will be revived later on (like most Sondheim works) because it can be appreciated again. Musicals that are purely commerical can sustain a long run but when it's done, it's done. Who is going to revive Miss Saigon anyways?

People really need to grow here, now just following a trend. It's actually quite pathetic because nothing is learned when the trend is over.