TODAY IN THEATRE HISTORY: April 10th
In the “Today in Theatre History” series, we take a specific event in theatre history and use it as a starting point for discussion about aspects of theatre – past, present, and future.
On April 10th, 1994 the hit-musical Les Miserables, opened at the Hiten Theatre in Osaka , Japan
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| The Japanese "Les Mis" cast performs "One Day More." Source: http://bit.ly/14bx6ln |
“Japan United States
Look at the Shiki Theatre Company in Japan Japan , Japanese musicals to Taiwan
COMPARE: Broadway "Mamma Mia" vs. Beijing "Mamma Mia"
EXPANSION AND EVOLUTION
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| "Butterflies" was China's first Broadway-style musical. Source: http://bit.ly/10SoHxl |
How is it that something so “quintessentially” American is finding its way into the hearts and minds of people all across Asia ? The culture-specific evolution of the art form speaks for itself:
Asian countries are not only latching on to Western stories and scores, but they are now expanding on that foundation and creating their own works: “As countries have yearned for independence, musicals have had to accommodate their particular tastes. American and British productions have been staged in other languages, and new markets have been created and know-how accumulated. Now these countries are starting to make the things that people want to see.”
Who knows, perhaps in coming years the musical will no longer be defined as an American art form, but rather as an international art form. Best keep an eye out.
SIGNATURE THEATRE CROSSING BORDERS
For our 2013 SigLab project, Signature Theatre will be spending July 9th-27th workshopping a new musical called “Spin,” based on the hit Korean comedy, “Speedy Scandal”:
Faded pop star Evan coasts through life. However, when a surprise daughter and grandson arrive on his doorstep, Evan must choose between the gift of family and the glittering appeal of fame. Spin is a humorous, charming and heartwarming tale about what really matters in life.”
LEARN MORE:
In this blog post we’ve focused on the expansion of musical theatre into
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