“The version of waiting for Godot produced by Contemporary Legend Theatre is so perfect that it should be remarked on the history of modern drama.”

THÉÂTRE DU SOLEIL / Director, Ariane Mnouchkine
“Wu Hsing-kuo has decoded Beckett’s code. He succeeded in a perfect combination of drama and poetry.”

Beckett’s Assistant Director / Gate Theatre, Dublin,Walter Asmus
Celebrated opera singer, thespian, dancer and occasional star of the silver screen, Wu Hsing-kuo and his renowned Contemporary Legend Theater (CLT) make a welcome return to the stage when they bring their visually stunning Chinese/Western crossover production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot . Since its founding in 1985, the CLT has become one of the most influential and respected modern opera troupes in Asia. Its ability to blend standard classical Beijing opera with Western theater has enabled the troupe to breathe new life into numerous productions.

Synopsis

Beckett’s play tells of two vagrants — Estragon and Vladimir — who are waiting for someone called Godot to arrive. Godot never does arrive, however, but while passing the time waiting for the mysterious character the two bums act out several of the fundamental mysteries of man’s existence and in turn beg the question, ‘What are we doing here?’

New Paradise of Silent Island is the classical reproduction from Ho’s own company premiere Woo! Barbie in 2010. Selected and integrated from the various images of Ho’s previous works, New Paradise of Silent Island is a collective creation with the spirit of Taiwanese cosplay. It drew together the Eight Generals, betel nut beauties, glove puppets, the Barbie doll, and other highly identifiable cultural symbols in contemporary Taiwan society. Ho’s dance creates a golden ukiyo-e from the hybridization of the sense of Taiwan and the foreign, presenting a metaphor of modern society where gaudiness and loneliness are juxtaposed with the puppet aesthetics of Barbie dolls.