Taiwan Season: The Way Back

偶非常喜歡這ㄍ表演!! 讚讚讚ʕ•̀ ω • ʔ 推推推推推
The combination of the sounds, lighting, and objects is really impressive. Not just a children's show but for whom wants to find their way back. My favourite part is the performance of the left and right hand trying to communicate with each! All the objects are so vivid and poetic.

A strange but mesmerising show. We were a bit concerned that, given this is the age of ‘trigger warnings’ for very minor upsetting content, this show might be very disturbing for children. It’s a relief to see the reviews here from kids who enjoyed the macabre humour. The puppeteering was clever and well choreographed. The theme of the destruction of war makes it a powerful disturbing show for adults. We’ll worth seeing.

Very, very good. We were three adults and two children (10 and 13yo). So many things were great about this show but what impressed me most was the way it was able to offer a simple, slightly bizarre story for children whilst - at the same time - being utterly devastating for the adults. We all laughed but only the grown-ups cried. Definitely a show you don't need children to go and see. Big thank you to the artists and producers for bringing it here.

"举重若轻" is the first phrase that came to my mind after watching this: it means lifting something heavy as if it's lighter than a feather. The pure joy of playing with props - the toy train, the limbs of a doll, the adult clothes - almost comes directly from our childhood games, when we took a glimpse into the adult world and used little details we observed to reconstruct the obscure reality. In this case, the reality of war. Doesn't it look like a birthday party when the soldier gets bombed by the confetti? Aren't the broken limbs crawling like dancing with Jazz?
Despite all its light-heartedness, the end is a sudden, realistic strike. After all, what is destroyed can not be recovered, and those lost on the battlefield will never return to their real "home", even in the fantasy of a child. But the true, universal "home" is the music, the abstract body shared by every soldier, losing their limbs and lives, but sung and remembered in a melody, a melody played in fear, and hope. The hope of recovery. The cruel impossibility of physical recovery is juxtaposed with the hope of emotional recovery in music, in compassion.
The idea is achieved by the clever transformation from human beings to objects, back and forth. While the war makes human beings objects by killing them, theatre does the contrary: making objects human, the props sing and seek, reassure and recover.
The funny thing is that after the show, I saw the stagehand was looking for the limbs because she really couldn't find them. I would like to think they wanted to have some chips and beer after the show, for they worked hard and did a good job.
所有深刻都在细小愉悦，人变成物件，物件变成人，灯光照在玩具火车上，就是夜晚军营的转场，军大衣在尖叫，手在彼此发现。说在血肉模糊中也会有精彩表演，会不会过于残酷？可是在酷烈形势之下也有审美的快乐，是不是一种特殊的自由？最终是否这种自由才能让我们真正从战争中康复，即便永远不会康复。就像音乐让断肢持续寻找完整，对旋律的回忆让死者仍然思考着妈妈，戏剧让我们看到被变成物的仍然能朝向生命，互相残杀的，也能朝向玩耍。我们无法逃脱，可是我们总有一种逃脱：右手逃向吉他，士兵逃向音乐，我们逃向戏剧。戏剧不能拯救人，但是戏剧能够拯救人。我愿意在快乐中相信这一悖论，就像在物中看见人，看见虚构的真实，看见永远丧失的，在玩耍中返回。

So much more than a children's show. The energetic cast use a variety of props, life size puppets of disjointed limbs and torso, and seamless stage management in this poignant tale of how war destroys lives and the difficulty of rebuilding them. Very clever show.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This play is an absolute delight for both parents and children! It's an entertaining experience that captures the attention of kids through puppets, body language, live vocals, and lights. The kid that sat behind me was laughing throughout the entire play!

But there's so much more. It's about a journey of self-discovery and rediscovering one's identity amidst the turbulent waves of life and war. Every element of this performance, the lights, sounds, music, body movements, and puppets, come together to create a truly professional and captivating play.

While it may be classified as a children's show, its message is dedicated to all human beings in search of themselves or those who have endured the harsh realities of war. It's a show from Taiwan, but it transcends borders and will resonate with people worldwide who believe in the power of love, music, and peace.

Highly recommended!

The show was really informational and in some bits it was so funny that I nearly laughed my head off. My favorite part was when the right hand finally found his whole body. I am only 9 but I totally loved it.