Riverdance – Made in Taiwan

There was much scare mongering amongst the Corrib Company about our last destination of the tour – Taiwan. I had been assured that a particular Taiwanese delicacy was fried duck’s head on a stick. Needless to say I couldn’t wait to try one and spent a number of hours in Taipei looking for this local treat. Although I never got to sample the duck’s head (on a stick), I did manage to find the most ‘interesting’ food I have ever come across in my short 21 years, including various body parts of animals I didn’t even know existed.

Taipei, our first stop, is the capital of Taiwan and one of the region's most dynamic economies. It is a fascinating blend of old and new, a centre of government, business, finance, fashion and culture, where the only constant is change. The city's newest and most vibrant commercial area is centred around the World Trade Centre complex that includes the World Trade Building, Convention Centre and Exhibition Hall where we performed each night to sell-out crowds.

With three whole days off to play with, we were delighted to arrive into the glorious sunshine of Taipei after the wintery conditions of Hiroshima. There was even talk of discarding woollies and umbrellas in favour of bikinis and speedos and heading down to the nearest beach. Everyone took it easy on the first day in Taipei, planning our days off with this in mind. It was an unfortunate twist of fate that this was to be our only day of sunshine for 10 days – with grey skies, wind and rain to follow. Not put off by this, many members of the company took to the jungle and camped out with the mosquitoes for the first few days of the break. I enjoyed the luxury of our hotel, explored the room service menu and visited Starbucks. With the tallest building in the world on our doorstep and other historical buildings, there was much to do in the vicinity of the hotel anyway.

The show began in Taipei to great acclaim with huge media interest, as this was the first time that Riverdance had played Taiwan. It is always a huge lift for the cast when the audiences go crazy and it really makes all our hard work worthwhile. Local press even printed an article on the show entitled ‘Wardrobe Works ‘til Midnight’ when they interviewed our very own wardrobe mistress Nikki about her diligent work. She is now to be found on the front page of a local newspaper here with a picture of a washing machine. We all really appreciate how amazing everyone in the crew has been on the Corrib tour. They have been brilliant to work with, making an amazing job even more so.

With bulging suitcases already fit to burst, it was to our dismay that we discovered that Taiwan is famous for its night markets and fake Gucci bags. Although I am not a collector of designer bags real or fake, I still had Christmas presents to buy and of course the occasional gift for myself. The markets were vibrant, bustling places filled with clothes, bags, shoes, knick-knacks and delicious food on sticks.

The cast and crew were treated to a Christmas party to celebrate the end of our successful tour of Asia. With drinks and a buffet all night as well as obligatory dancing on the bar, we had a brilliant night (and early morning). The only thing missing in my mind was a sprig of mistletoe, but that didnt stop some us (not me) from getting into the festive spirit no names mentioned!

More celebration was to come as three birthdays fell during the course of our short visits to Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Taichung. We took the opportunity to go out and find local bars and clubs in honour of the occasions. Our Flamenco dancer, Rocio, found a tapas bar which was well suited to her celebrations. Our American tapper, Cory, found a club to boogie the night away in. But it was an unusual turn of events that saw our singer, Conor, taken to an innocent-looking bar called ‘The Lounge’, where he was pounced upon by several ladies of the night. Shocked, he was rescued and brought to a more reputable bar, where the fun continued into the early hours.

It was during our time in Taiwan that a huge earthquake struck, and yet again our hotel rooms shook violently and walls creaked with the impact. Like Japan, Taiwan is on the infamous Ring of Fire. Speaking of which, we were led to a spicy Thai restaurant by Mary Sexton for our celebratory Choir Dinner. Called ‘Malibu’, it certainly lived up to its name. We braved the curries, enjoyed the cocktails, and exchanged our favourite choir stories of the tour. A fun time was had by all.

Leaving Asia will be a sad time for the Corrib Company, as we have had the most fantastic time performing to wonderful crowds in spectacular venues in exotic places. The highlights of the tour for me would be sumo wrestlers, yakiniku, pot noodles, heated toilets, temples, palaces, earthquakes, my stage kiss, ducks head on a stick, giant spiders, cable cars, monkeys at play, friendly deer, umbrellas, recorded birdsong, fake Gucci bags, 35 mosquito bites, wonderful people of Asia, friends in the company, my room-mate Sabrina, Tokyo, Hiroshima...it has been quite a tour.

Thank you for reading my diaries, following my adventures and being part of the Corrib tour of Asia! See you next time…
Fiona x