Siraya Pai | NTT Observer, Theatre Critic

Summer Musicals 2026:
Hearing the Subtle Art of Language

What makes a musical truly great? The answer will likely differ from one person to another. By definition, a musical brings together song and dance, narrative and performance, each element essential in its own right. Yet to me, the most crucial force, often unseen, lies in language.

Over more than two centuries of Broadway history, many of its most remarkable works have been shaped by the alchemy of composer and lyricist. Think of Rodgers and Hammerstein, creators of The Sound of Music; the Gershwin brothers, who bridged jazz opera and musical theater; or Kander and Ebb, whose names are synonymous with Cabaret and Chicago. Again and again, their work reveals how the cadence, rhythm, and inflection of language give rise to endlessly varied melodies. In the world of musical theater, dialogue becomes lyrics, and lyrics return to dialogue. Everything rests on the rapport between composer and lyricist, through which songs of lasting resonance are brought to life.

To find the perfect partnership is no easy task. But what if a single artist could embody both roles? Widely regarded as a legend of musical theater, Stephen Sondheim did collaborate with composer Leonard Bernstein on West Side Story. Yet what has earned him enduring admiration is his extraordinary ability to transform language of keen precision into music of intricate nuance.

Departing from the linear narratives inherited from operetta and comic opera that long shaped Broadway tradition, Sondheim forged a new path with what has come to be known as the "concept musical." Breaking away from conventional structures, he replaced outward plot progression with thematic motifs and the inner lives of his characters. In his work, one senses the influence of Wagnerian opera, where interwoven polyphonic lines generate tensions that verge on dissonance, while also recalling the unsettling yet profoundly stirring force of Igor Stravinsky.

Stephen Sondheim's music has never been easy to sing, and the opportunity to experience it live in Taiwan is rarer still. In the summer of 2026, however, the National Taichung Theater joins forces with Activa Productions to bring together a cast of outstanding performers for Sondheim's seminal work, COMPANY, directed by Amon Miyamoto, the first Japanese director to have made his mark on Broadway.

Adapted from a series of short plays by George Furth that probe the nature of modern marriage, COMPANY unfolds through the cool, observant gaze of its 35-year-old bachelor protagonist. Through him, we glimpse the loneliness, hesitation, fatigue, and quiet estrangement that reside within the intimate relationships of those around him, mirroring the score's shifting textures—its clashing harmonies, irregular rhythms, and melodies that move between provocation and tenderness. Few composers have rendered the intricate dilemmas of contemporary relationships with such acuity as Sondheim.

If Sondheim brings the poetic potential of the English language to its fullest expression, this island of Taiwan, with its rich linguistic tapestry, opens up an equally expansive field of musical possibility. Premiering in 2023 to sold-out performances and record-breaking success, Don't Cry, Dancing Girls draws on the seven-syllable chants of "qian wang ge," a traditional funeral ritual deeply embedded in cultural memory, mysterious and incantatory in tone, to unfold the unspoken complexities within every family.

Also returning by popular demand is Tales of Success: the Return of a Prodigal Son by HaoxHsiaoTroupe, developed through the NTT's incubation program. Charged with the explosive energy of Taiwanese rap, the work subverts conventional narratives that glorify historical figures, casting a satirical eye on organized crime, temple culture, local politics, and even the arts ecosystem itself. Beneath its absurdist humor lies a reframing of Zheng Chenggong, whose given name resonates with the idea of "success," through which the value of the "loser" comes sharply into view.

The Hakka pop musical Someday Over the Rainbow unfolds a distinct sonic landscape. Originally produced by Miaobei Art Center and premiered in 2023, the work is set against the backdrop of Taiwan's mining history. Guided by a mysterious treasure map, it leads audiences into the layered terrain of family memory and ancestral searching in the mountain towns of Miaoli.

With lyrics by Hakka poet CHUNG Yung-feng and music by CHEN Kuo-hua, the piece weaves together elements of contemporary popular music with the tonal contours of traditional Hakka melodies. The leading role is performed by Golden Melody Award-winning singer Emily KUAN, who has long infused Hakka with the expressive nuances of jazz. Here, through her voice, the spirit of the Hakka mountain communities finds resonant expression.

It is also worth noting that Someday Over the Rainbow, Don't Cry, Dancing Girls, and Tales of Success: the Return of a Prodigal Son together illuminate the diverse creative vocabularies of different generations of Taiwanese musical theater makers. Through these works, one can glimpse a field in which varied artistic languages coexist, each continuing to shape and extend the possibilities of the form.

Building on the momentum of Tales of Success, HaoxHsiaoTroupe will next present Liar King, created during its residency at the NTT under the artistic direction of Oscar HUANG and his creative team. Conceived as a solo rock musical, the work features a single performer inhabiting multiple roles, using Taiwan's ever-familiar spectacle of electoral culture as an entry point to probe the entangled dynamics of power, language, and human nature. The piece will be presented in the form of a staged reading concert.

Not to be missed is the acclaimed Korean musical Navillera. Adapted from a widely beloved webtoon and later developed into a television series, the story follows an elderly retired postman living with dementia and a disheartened young ballet prodigy, as they embark together on a journey of pursuing dreams, where laughter and tears intertwine. Beyond the emotional tension shaped by its lyrics and score, dance, as a central symbol in the work, becomes another kind of language, through turns on pointe that are at once light and searching, gently easing the knots within.

In the summer of 2026, whether encountering a legendary master long revered or discovering a rising voice of striking originality, and regardless of genre or tongue, let the lyrics move with the music, giving voice to the complexities of love, the absurdities of family, the fervor of dreams, and the echoes of memory.