Tai-Jung Yu | Deputy Director of IATC, Taiwan Branch

Equipping Courage and Motivation as We Land: The Artistic Escapism to Alien Worlds

Art is often seen as a pursuit of aesthetic enjoyment after basic survival needs are met, but this is not always the case. For instance, in the face of the 2008 financial crisis affecting economic worldwide, film markets in various countries showed consistent growth against the trend.

In times of adversity, borrowing from Andy Warhol's famous quotes, “art is anything you can get away with.” Even when faced with hunger, one must embark on a space journey of aesthetic exploration. We may need artistic escapism more than we realize.

Leaving the Surface: Traversing the Atmospheric Layer of Senses

The alien worlds created through stage arts and performance can offer a momentary sanctuary for the soul. However, these extraterrestrial realms often diverge greatly from one another; some may bear a resemblance to our own world, while others may whisk the audience away into Alice's rabbit hole, landing in a realm of fantasy and enchantment.

Formosa Circus Art's Circus Party draws inspiration from the film The Greatest Showman, portraying the life story of a renowned circus tycoon, while Hung Dance's Peter Pan derives from The Little White Bird, unfolding the tale of an imaginatively crafted eternal youth. Despite originating from vastly different narratives, both performances summon a diverse array of characters through their physical prowess. Within the continuously transforming stage space, they embark on a circus and dance journey that propels them higher and farther from the surface of the Earth.

Some of these alien worlds are designed to create specific sensory experiences, transmitting landing signals to us. NTT Artist-in-Residence YEH Ting-hao's Reverberation of Illusions utilizes audio analysis and algorithmic tools, collaborating with real-time generated experimental electronic music to drive a visual imagery transformation enveloping the entire space with surround sound, shaking consciousness with visual and auditory stimuli. You Are My Sunlight by the Sleep No Playground, on the other hand, is designed for shared moments between infants under 18 months old and their caregivers. On this little planet, whispers of poetry and nursery rhymes echo in ears, accompanied by art installations powered by green energy and overlaid with primary colors of light and shadow, revealing a secret corner where both kids and adults can relax their minds and bodies.

Continuing the Journey: Encounters Impossible between You and Me

In the interstellar voyage of performing arts, the encounters between characters often resemble improbable rendezvous between different worlds, where even two isolated islands can aspire to meet until the ocean runs dry, even if only for a fleeting moment. The musical Once, adapted from the eponymous film and recipient of numerous awards, unfolds the serendipitous yet profound, sweet, and poignant fate and emotions through music and songs, doubling the time of the original work. Another love story, Princess Kavalan & General Turtle by the FengShen Baobao Troupe, is based on the Taiwanese opera tunes from Yilan, depicting a forbidden love legend between the distant Yilan-Ebene and Turtle Island.

Some alien worlds are special because different “species” embark on an unusual journey together, and we become fellow travelers. Danish Teater Refleksion and Andy Manley's solo performance, Night Light, crafted for young audiences, employs delicate lighting, sound effects, and mechanical illusions to embark on an adventure with a night deity and a child who sneaks out of bed, redefining the night from a realm of fear and silence. The show premiered at the Edinburgh International Children's Festival in 2017 and received rave reviews. Similarly, playing with objects and a lively performance rhythm, the Théâtre des Enfants Terribles Hey! YOU tells the story of two familiar companions rediscovering each other. By dismantling the parts of a cello, the performance creates unexpected imagery, opening up our understanding and possibilities of the instrument.

Returning to Reality: The Most Familiar yet Unrecognizable World

Many times, travel is about coming back home. The journey to alien worlds affords us the chance to glance back at our own planet. Some onstage worlds stem from reality but might not be recognizable to individuals, and they may even confront the risk of vanishing. These represent the alien worlds within reality.

Don't Cry, Dancing Girls the Musical by VMTheatre Company, where the three siblings returning home are not only forced to confront their family's past but also the vanishing traditional funeral rites. The play resonates with themes of family, love, and self-discovery, as well as the lost sense of belonging and cultural memory experienced by islanders across generations to varying degrees. HaoxHsiaoTroupe's rap and R&B musical Tales of Success：the Return of a Prodigal Son similarly begins with generational friction triggered by returning home. Set in a lively and boisterous atmosphere, it delves into a wild fantasy interweaving political history, underworld influences, and temple culture through familial relationships, offering another approach to revisiting reality.

Another vantage point requires a time machine to take us to the future. Dimanche, co-created by Belgium's Focus Company and Chaliwaté Company, transports us to the endpoint of climate and ecological crises: extinction. The narrative oscillates between three scientists cataloging the last remnants of surviving species amidst global cataclysms and a family “enjoying” an increasingly scorching Sunday. Through objects, puppetry, physical theater, and video vocabulary, it invites us to witness that imminent moment that has yet to arrive. When will the familiar places we know become another alien world?

Life goes on, and the artistic escapism often proves to be fleeting. Yet perhaps, the interstellar journey to otherworldly realms can, amidst our escape from it all, endow us with a different perspective and attitude than before. When we return to the surface, when we land, may we find the courage and motivation to deal with reality once again.

NTT觀察員、獨立評論人 白斐嵐

2025年夏天，在音樂劇的世界追尋自由

不記得從什麼時候開始，夏天走進臺中國家歌劇院看場音樂劇，已經成為天經地義的事情。

最神奇的是，我在這裡每個場地都看過音樂劇──有現場管弦樂團、精緻布景的大劇院；以較近距離調度空間、施展劇場獨特魅力的中劇院；靈活變通、發揮創意的黑盒子小劇場；還有擺著幾張椅子與譜架、以簡單形式讓人想像「未來發展」的「角落沙龍」讀劇演出。在這裡，音樂劇以各種可能面貌和觀眾見面，有承襲，有突破框架的企圖，也有對自由的追尋。

今年歌劇院夏日系列共推出4齣音樂劇作品，分別是紅潮劇集《當亞斯遇見人魚》、大慕可可╳刺點創作工坊《九月啊九月》、NTT+音樂劇人才培育工程《PLANET：一個男團的誕生》讀劇音樂會以及《夜奔》。它們恰好都說著某種關於自由的故事。自由並非隨心所欲，唯有在限制之中，才讓人感受其存在。歷史記載的傳奇人物八十萬禁軍教頭林冲如此，罹患漸凍症的人魚女孩「慢慢」與具有亞斯柏格特質的男子「英雄」亦然。

《夜奔》編劇汪鈞翌與作曲徐啟洋改編《水滸傳》林冲被逼上梁山的故事，試圖以音樂劇的歌曲結構，呼應原著小說之章回體，並以「歌隊」帶入「命運」的敘事觀點。曾在體制內站上高位的林冲，受局勢所逼，與眾好漢囂聚山林，不甘受制於命運，成為舞台或戲劇作品最愛改編的題材，受歡迎程度遠超過王公貴族，大概也反應了每個人心中或多或少的「不甘心」。劇中先以烏德琴撥弦帶入詭譎氣氛，隨著曲風節奏一變，偶爾像是《漢彌爾頓》（Hamilton）預示新時代的饒舌，偶爾又令人想起美國音樂劇作曲家約翰．坎德（John Kander）描繪亂世的紙醉金迷，為經典故事注入當代詮釋，喚醒我們或許早已被馴服的反抗之心。

人魚女孩「慢慢」沒有這麼好運。被罕見疾病找上門的她，無力抵抗命運，然而卻有著同樣對於自由的渴望與不甘心。這是由歌劇院2017-2018駐館藝術家王靖惇編劇、紅潮劇集藝術總監梁允睿作曲的作品，如同《夜奔》，也曾先於歌劇院進行讀劇演出，獲得不少好評。《當亞斯遇見人魚》台上只有一男一女，各有各的「不尋常」，卻在相處之中相知相惜。男孩開始為了女孩，挑戰自我慣性；女孩也思考著最終還能拖著這具不自由的身體做些什麼，以抵抗命運。劇中多首歌曲幽默俏皮，像是真人現場偶像劇，你來我往推進兩人關係，卻也因此更凸顯命運的無奈與奮力一搏的勇敢。

從這兩齣作品不難看出歌劇院對音樂劇整體發展的多方投入。音樂劇像是另一種當代的「總體藝術」（total art），高度仰賴劇場各環節彼此配合；故事文本與音樂文本如何相互呼應，更是至關重要。無論是劇本創作研發支持計畫，或邁入第四屆的「NTT+音樂劇人才培育工程」，歌劇院都投注相當資源，讓許多有趣作品得以在此發生／聲。前期創發階段最重要的「讀劇發表」，雖然視覺體驗不比正式演出「亮麗」，但有時卻更能發揮想像力，不受作品搬演的實際考量所局限，得以讓音樂與文字帶著角色（以及觀眾）去到沒有人去過的地方（比如誰想得到用輕快甜美的音樂劇如《當亞斯遇上人魚》來探討生命倫理議題！）。觀眾除了得以享受不設限的未知，往往附加得到陪著作品長大的成就感。

《PLANET：一個男團的誕生》和《九月啊九月》是兩個關於長大的作品，不約而同藉由「高中樂團」的回憶切入主題。主角們被當年發生的「某些事」給困住，唯有和自己、和他人和解，才能得到真正的自由。前者由陳家寶與劉子齊共同創作，以讀劇音樂會形式演出；後者則由刺點創作工坊與大慕可可共同推出，以「點唱機音樂劇」（Jukebox musical）形式放入多首90年代滾石唱片華語金曲，從流行歌曲召喚時代集體記憶。此外，這兩齣作品「玩團」的故事設定，也讓曲風有了更多變化。

音樂劇或許就是這麼一個在限制之中尋找自由的劇種，有一定結構與格律可以遵循，卻也等著被挑戰與突破。無論是不得不出走的林冲、不得不為自己人生奮戰的人魚女孩「慢慢」，或是代表著青春夢想與過去心魔的「高中樂團」，都讓我們看見了「自由」的多種面貌，並在其中安放自我。