The Taiwan plan Crazy TV is making its mainland debut in Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai during the Christmas-to-New Year holiday period. Provided to China Daily
'Crazy TV' the latest Taiwan production to come to the mainland, tests the appeal of less highbrow entertainment, Wang Wen reports.
Could two producers operate a 24-hour TV channel with a fund of just 7,000-yuan?
They did, miraculously, by filling up the channel with one-man news reports, late-night hypnotic programs and namely all the genres today's quick minds in TV industry could possibly think of.
It may sound like mission impossible, but these worst scenarios turn out to be the daily headaches for the two leading roles in Crazy TV, a Taiwan play scheduled for its mainland debut in Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai during Christmas and the New Year.
Although the witty comedy never stops making fun of the reality of the island's TV industry, it is created by elite TV producers to reflect on themselves and the vicious competition among the 100-strong television stations inside Taiwan, according to the director of the production.
"One man's meat is another man's poison. Audiences have found the comedy a joy to watch, but many of my peers confessed they had cried during the play because they saw themselves in the play," said the director Xie Nianzu.
The play is expected to show mainland audiences the B-side story of their favorite Taiwan shows, filled with some bitter truths behind the scenes, the director said.
"Significant cuts in production costs and vicious competition among stations have put Taiwan's TV industry in a difficult situation," said Xie, working for a popular entertainment program famous for mocking the island's political leaders.
"I would not say our TV industry is going downhill, but it is losing room for creativity. However, we are still improvising new things, just like the witty anchors, which Taiwan TV is famous for. They just keep improvising on anything they've got," he told China Daily during his visit to Beijing.
Xie, a playwright-turned-TV-producer, has been in the business for more than six years under the studio created by Wang Wei-Chung, known as the "godfather of Taiwan variety shows". Many mainland audiences have already bought tickets to the play's 11 performances out of respect for Wang, who produced the play.
Taiwan's TV entertainment has never failed to capture the young minds on the Chinese mainland. Some young audiences have been big fans of Taiwan-made shows such as the Kangxi Come and Guess Guess Guess in recent years through the Internet.
This enthusiasm for the TV culture across the Straits became evident and almost one-sided during a meet-and-greet session in Beijing on Nov 28, when almost 700 fans turned the venue into a can of sateen in order to see producer Wang Wei-Chung, director Xie Niazu and one of the actors of the play, new star Yin Yin.
While some young male fans expressed indulging affection for the young actress Yin Yin, female fans did not hid their passion for Zhao Zhengping, a frequent guest to Taiwan's variety shows and one of the comedy's actors who plays an investor who tries to sabotage the TV station in the comedy.
Wang Wei-Chung, facing mainland audiences directly for the first time, said he did not find the mainland passion surprising.
"Great cities can take in various cultures, and so do their residents," he told China Daily during his recent visit to Beijing.
Wang has paid more attention on the mainland market, after he worked with popular playwright and theater director Stan Lai from Taiwan in the production of the hugely successful play The Village, which saw all of its three performances in Beijing sold out this November.
Eager to work with mainland producers and actors, the TV producer paid special visits to drama institutes and local theaters recently in the capital.
During his comedy, starring a line-up of Taiwan actors, a whole crew of sound- and visual-effects crew will also be acting backstage to give the TV-themed comedy a stronger sense of reality. Audiences will also be watching "live" TV production with a combination of routine special effects on TV through a screen on the stage. Some will even be dragged on stage to play small parts.
Raymond Zhou, a culture critic in Beijing, has welcomed more Taiwan plays and artists to the mainland.
"The fact that Taiwan culture combines the East and the West perfectly is what the mainland culture lacks. Our market definitely needs diversity by bringing in more first-class works to the performance market," he said.
Zhou said the number of audiences in the mainland is attractive but more are needed.
Q&A
| Wang Wei-Chuang
What do you think about the audiences on the mainland after the big success of The Village?
Many people are interested in The Village, because the play pays attentions to people's shared affection on both sides of the Straits. Audiences on the mainland can accept the Taiwan culture easier because we share the same words and we share the same ancestors. However, Taiwan culture has become more diverse, since it combines traditional culture and Western elements, which attracts mainland audiences.
This time, we will bring Crazy TV, which is a humorous and interesting reflection of the Taiwan TV culture. TV has always been a kind of entertainment and attractive to young people, wherever they live. The mainland will be no exception.
Getting to know the local audiences, do you have further projects on the mainland?
I communicated with some peers in Beijing recently, including some staff members with the National Theater of China and maybe we will have opportunities to cooperate in TV drama and theater projects. I also watched some local performances, such as cross talk and plays, to learn about the interests of local audiences and find out the differences from audiences in Taiwan.
