The musical "Happy Banquet" will hold a "20th Anniversary Concert" in 2023. It is expected to invite the first-generation actors to come to Taiwan to sing. From left, Dina Morishita, Chengwei Yang, and Taylor Ross.

(provided by the Chinese musical)

[Reporter Ling Meixue/Taipei Report] Taiwanese Broadway star Welly Yang (Welly Yang) recently returned to Taiwan to participate in the off-Broadway musical "Dream of Love", attracting many loyal fans. Despite his career, he also proved that he is still young with his brilliant performances.

Therefore, the Chinese-language musical theater company hosted by the company announced this week that it will invite Yang Chengwei to return to Taiwan next year to perform the musical "The Wedding Banquet" (The Wedding Banquet), which was co-created by Ang Lee's film. ).

The playwright of the musical "Happy Banquet" is Tony Award winner Brian Yorke (right).

(provided by the Chinese musical)

According to the Chinese musical, the musical "Happy Banquet" was originally created in 2003 and adapted from the 1993 classic film directed by Ang Lee. The script and lyrics were jointly developed by Yang Chengwei and the American Tony Award-winning playwright Brian Yorkey , Korean-American composer Woody.

Composed by Woody Pak.

Interpreting the original Chinese family ethics and same-sex love in the form of a Broadway musical. After its world premiere in Taiwan in 2003, it caused a sensation in Asia and the United States.

Please read on...

Yang Chengwei and Morishita Dina got married after cooperating with "Happy Banquet", and they have also returned to Taiwan for concert performances together in recent years.

(File photo, photo by reporter Ling Meixue)

Yang Chengwei, born in 1973, is the second generation of immigrants. When he was 20 years old, he was still studying international political relations at Columbia University in New York. He was discovered to join the tour of the musical "Miss Saigon". In addition, he also participated in opera performances and produced TV programs.

Inspired by the hard work of the second and third generations of immigrants in the United States, in order to put Asian artists on the world stage, he founded the "Second Generation Theater Company" and co-created the musicals "Laying the Tracks" and "Happy Banquet" with York , At that time, he even insisted that "Happy Banquet" had its world premiere in Taiwan, his parents' hometown.

Guo Baiyi, executive director of the Chinese musical, said that this time he won the trust of the international team and will work with the original creative team to remake this classic musical.

The spiritual core of "reproduction" is to change the original version of the English performance to "English" and "Chinese" based on the original role settings through Taiwan and the United States. This is in line with the current trend of multilingual presentations in international musicals. Some passages will also be translated and combined with local elements.

Guo Baiyi hopes that through the bilateral co-production and professional exchanges between Taiwan and the United States, it will not only improve the production level of domestic musicals, but also enhance the international visibility of Taiwan's performing arts.

The Chinese musical also previewed the entire production process, including the musical "Happy Banquet" and "20th Anniversary Concert" in 2023. The protagonist Yang Chengwei and the musical actor Tyley Ross who won the Dara Award, and the Japanese-American Broadway actress Dina Morishota who once starred in "Miss Saigon".

The new version of the musical "Happy Banquet" is expected to premiere in Taiwan in 2024.

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