New Musical 'Drowning Notes' — The Night All Audience Members Become Divers

An unprecedented underwater musical debuts requiring all audience members to wear wetsuits. The conductor wears a snorkel, ballet dancers perform with fins, and the program is, of course, waterproof.

2025-07-14

Translations: JA

Showbiz Pavilion

An unprecedented underwater musical debuts requiring all audience members to wear wetsuits. The conductor wears a snorkel, ballet dancers perform with fins, and the program is, of course, waterproof.

At the “Aqua The Theatre,” a renovated former Olympic diving pool in the city, the world’s first self-proclaimed submerged musical “Drowning Notes” premiered on the evening of the 8th. Instead of an opening bell, a rescue whistle sounded. The seating area was 1.5 meters deep, and the “standing swim seats” (not standing room) were sold out. The production company proudly stated, “Buoyancy is more important than audience numbers,” while a critic on a floating ring offered breathless praise: “My own breathing was more dramatic than the performance.”

The story follows a symphony orchestra that continues playing despite being flooded by heavy rain—a theme of “ultimate work style reform.” The conductor wields a waterproof lightsaber instead of a baton, and the ballet troupe wears life jackets over their tutus. The climax features clarinet player’s bubbles creating dissonance, which the musicians’ union described with a complex smile as “true breath control.”

The technical aspects are seriously humorous. Stage lighting uses LED that meets water quality standards, and waterproof microphones can become shark repellent ultrasonic devices if mishandled. An electrician explained, “The thrill of water and electrocution is part of the performance,” but the insurance company remained silent, shaking their heads with tension lower than the deep sea. The “intermission” during the show was not for bathroom breaks but decompression time, and the dry zone in the lobby instantly reached sauna-level crowding.

Audience reactions were polarized. Young people seeking new experiences rated it highly, saying “No bath needed after the show—eco-friendly.” However, elderly patrons lamented, “My hearing aid drowned before the lyrics,” and some demanded refunds for the water depth adjustment system. Ticket prices are 1.5 times regular musicals, but the organizers’ logic that “it’s cheap considering water and laundry costs included” has yet to penetrate audience lungs.

Regarding cultural significance, the Agency for Cultural Affairs commented with a wry smile, “Theater always crosses boundaries. This time, it crossed physically.” However, an unprecedented challenge emerged regarding “fire safety requirements for singing in indoor pools” under fire prevention law, with heated debates within the ministry about whether “singers’ sweat counts as fire suppression water.” Experts are already looking toward space stages, saying, “At this rate, next will be vacuum musicals with breathing tax.”

The economic impact runs surprisingly deep. Nearby diving shops saw five-fold rental demand increases. Pool dryers sold out during the performance period, and the local shopping district posted celebratory haiku: “The dry goods store making hay while wet.” However, audience hair drained en masse after the show clogged the sewers, forcing the city to conduct emergency drainage cleaning. Citizens complained, “It’s one thing for notes to drown, but drowning our hair too?”

Overall, “Drowning Notes” proved that theater can sink as deep as it wants as long as it doesn’t “take its last breath.” Rumors suggest the next production will be below ice, above volcanic craters. Whether audience livers float first or theater stock prices sink, either way, don’t forget to breathe.

Stakeholder Comments

Executive Producer: “They say theater is fluid, but nobody said it should be this liquid”
Conductor’s Snorkel: “Today we truly showed what ‘breathing together’ means”
Ballet Troupe’s Fins: “Rotation speed increased but grace flowed away with the current”
Waterproof Program: “Creating small waves with each page turn is reader service”
Lighting LED: “My brilliance won’t lose to chlorine”
Sewer Department Staff: “Nobody told me art would echo down to the drains”
Nearby Convenience Store Dryer: “Running at full capacity daily, motor hotter than hair”
Ticket Resale Site: “Not just making hay while wet, even the server’s getting damp”
Audience Goggles: “Clear visibility, but can’t distinguish between tears and chlorine”
Local Hot Spring Association: “For after-theater, please come to our baths still wet”