Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Organized by Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO), the opening program of the 2019 Taipei Music Festival A New Musical - Green Island Serenade will be performed at the Metropolitan Hall (August 16-18) and National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) (August 24-25)!

Known for its opera productions, TSO has crossed over to musical production for the first time in conjunction with the renowned Godot Theatre Company from Taiwan. Directed by maestro musical director Liang Chih-min, the star-studded cast includes Pu Hsueh-liang, Maggie Chiang, Cindy Yen, Hsu I-sheng, Chang Hung-cheng, and Damula Chuyoji. Inspired by the song written by Chinese master musician Chou Lan-ping, the play gathers the most impressive musical talent lineup in recent years on the same stage in celebration of TSO’s 50th anniversary.

According to Director Ho Kang-kuo, TSO has played a prominent role in the history of opera development in Taiwan. For over 3 decades, it has not only spearheaded opera production in Italian, German, and Russian, but also accumulated the momentum of opera development and talent cultivation. Since 2018, TSO has proactively engaged in various forms of theater production by capitalizing on the energy of a symphony orchestra, mesmerizing the audience with creations including Surrogate Cities, Heading to Utopia, and this year’s Green Island Serenade.

Speaking of master musician Chou, Ho commented that he is considered one of the most prolific composers of all time in the history of Chinese cinematography. Specializing in creating musical scores with symphony orchestra, his masterpieces include Maidens of Alishan, Green Island Serenade, A Little Flower, and Huangmei melody Butterfly Lovers. In particular, Green Island Serenade was often incorrectly associated with the life of political prisoners on Green Island due to its adaptation by the film Prison on Fire. As a matter of fact, the song was written by Chou for his beloved wife. In the song Green Island Serenade, the songwriter has embodied his affection towards his lover in the beauty of Taiwan’s natural landscapes; therefore the musical was named Green Island Serenade to pay homage to the great musician.

The cast of Green Island Serenade consists of celebrities such as Pu Hsueh-liang, Maggie Chiang, Cindy Yen, Hsu I-sheng, Chang Hung-cheng, and Damula Chuyoji. With Alishan Mountain as the backdrop, composer Lee Che-yi has ingeniously interwoven the melody by Chou into the plot. This is the first time that Maggie Chiang has collaborated with the Godot Theatre Company in recent years, and Pu Hsueh-liang also said with a smile that this is the first time he has ever proactively auditioned for a part. Director Liang stressed that he is glad to welcome Cindy Yen to join the cast because he was so moved by Yeh’s audition for Green Island Serenade that he was almost brought to tears.

Green Island Serenade marks the 50th anniversary of original creations from TSO, and it is also the 80th musical produced by the Godot Theatre Company. Congregating the most extravagant musical cast in recent years, the classic masterpiece by Chou will be staged at the Metropolitan Hall (Weiwuying) (August 16-18) and National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (August 24-25). Please refer to the Arts Ticket for ticketing details.