Head of fantasy Japanese musical gets kick out of Taiwan superstitions

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) The crew of a Japanese stage musical began setting up at the National Theater in Taipei on Monday, and the show's musical director found rituals in a ceremony blessing its upcoming performances "magical," in line with the show's fantasy premise.

Staff from both Taiwan and Japan participated in the show's opening ceremony, typically an event in Taiwan at which the cast and crew make offerings and use incense to pray for good blessings.

In a press release from the show's Taiwan distributor, the Management of New Arts (MNA), the production's composer and music director Ryota Kojima said it was the first time he had experienced such a ritual.

He said he was able to check off yet another cultural experience from his bucket list, adding that while Japan also has similar rituals for blessings, it observes Shinto-based ceremonies where wands of Sakaki leaves are used rather than incense.

One of the items on the offering table that caught the attention of Kojima was bags of Taiwan's popular puffcorn snack Kuai Kuai (乖乖), specifically the coconut-flavored variety that is traditionally packaged in green.

In Taiwan, the Kuai Kuai superstition is where observers place the green packets of the snack on top of machines to ensure that the hardware works properly, as the name of the puffcorn brand is synonymous with the Mandarin colloquialism for "well-behaved."

Upon learning of the culture, Kojima was amused by the tradition, calling it "magical," which fits in line with the show as its plot centers around a young broom-flying witch in training.

"I must also pray with Kuai Kuai," Kojima said, "to hope that the stage magic will go without a hitch."

Besides Kuai Kuai, Kojima was also charmed by the Taiwanese crew's drawing of tortoises, which is another local superstition observed to pray for good weather and good ticket sales.

Kiki's Delivery Service will run from July 10-19 at the National Theater before moving to the National Taichung Theater from July 24 to Aug. 2.

While the world is most familiar with the animated movie from 1989, the stage production was adapted more faithfully from the 1985 book of the same name written by Eiko Kadono.

The stage production will be performed in Japanese with Chinese subtitles throughout its run in Taiwan, with tickets available on MNA's official website.

To recreate the eponymous character's broom-flying scenes, technical wireworks and careful stage planning were embedded into the engineering of the stage musical.