In "Madame Bovary is Me," there are two parallel story lines: an Emma in Taiwan, and a recital of the book "Madame Bovary," which takes audiences back 150 years in history. The highlight of the show is 12 actors imitating Taiwan's entertainment shows, which play an important role in Taiwan people's lives. Superstars, and even politicians, are all parodied in this segment in quarrels about love, desire and marriage. "Should we buy stocks, real estate or a baby-sitter?"

"Madam Bovary was affected a great deal by the media, even though it was 150 years ago, because she read a lot romantic novels, what they called the "pink novels." This concept still applies to people these days, not necessarily just women, but men too. I think it's a very good way of rethinking current values in our lives."

Poster of drama Madam Bovary Is Me. [Photo: sina.com.cn]

Especially at this time, when the media have developed so dramatically, people's lives are greatly influenced or even dictated by the media.

"I would consider the cast of Madam Bovary to be some sort of phenomenon endorsed by the media, especially in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Every day when you open the newspaper, you can find pictures and descriptions of where they have gone and what they have brought, their newest handbag... Most people think of this as a way of following the trends and being a part of fashionable society, so it's natural to believe that, 'Oh, I should do this as well.'"