Taipei City-based Punctum Drama (刺點創作工坊) and C MUSICAL last weekend launched a revival of their 2016 hit musical, One Fine Day (最美的一天), which continues this weekend and next.
A musical about a woman raising her daughter as a single mother and the choices that the makes when she develops stomach cancer might not sound like the most inspiring of subjects, but the original production was well received and the revival was shortlisted for the Best Overseas Musical Drama award at the Korea Daegu Musical Festival in June.
One Fine Day tells the story of Jing-ya (靜雅), who was left to raise her daughter on her own after her husband walked out on them. Life is not easy, but the mother and daughter learn to depend on one another.
Photo courtesy of Punctum Drama
After Jing-ya is told that her cancer is incurable, she decides to stop treatment, believing that quality of life is more important than its length, and she wants to be able to spend her remaining time teaching her daughter how to face life, death and separation.
Directed by Chang Yang-shao (張仰瑄), who also wrote the book for the musical, the score was composed by Chang Hsin-tzu (張芯慈) and arranged by Wu Hao (吳凜).
The five-member cast is led by C MUSICAL founding member Chen Ping-ling (陳品伶).
It might be worth taking along an extra packet or two of tissues when going to see the show.
C MUSICAL was founded in 2016 with the aim of creating and developing more Chinese-language musicals. Its first production, the No Book Club, was also invited to Daegu, where it won the Special Jury Award.
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and the same times next weekend
■ Taipei City Shuiyuan (Wellspring) Theater (台北市水源劇場), 10F, 92, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段92號10樓).
■ Tickets are NT$600 to NT$1,500, available at NTCH box offices, Eslite ticket counters, online at www.artsticket.com.tw and at convenience store ticketing kiosks
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