Live musical - Pippin

Shantou University is in the midst of its annual 3-day English Festival. Last night I went to watch a play there. Imagine this. It was a broadway musical called ‘Pippin’, performed in China, by Chinese students, in English. And it was really good! 

I was impressed at how successful they were with the general standard of production.  However, the singing and dancing was also very good and, well, the show was entertaining, which is what I find a lot of stage productions are not, in England.  Theatre is a bit like wine - some people all know what to say when they should say it, but to anyone who doesn’t know about the ins and outs, good wine is good wine, and a good show is a good show, whatever the ’authoritative’ assessment is.  And a lot of what ‘They’ say is good in theatres, is actually really boring anyway.  Art can be a bit like that too. 

The place was packed out as 10% excess tickets had been printed on the assumption that not everyone would come - the three nights are all free - but everyone came.  Glad there wasn’t a fire. 

Also there were subtitles!  A great idea - I never hear all the words, from native speakers or not. 

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