Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [19]
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THEATRE
Much, though not all, theatre in Hong Kong is Western in form, if not content. Traditional Chinese theatre can still be experienced, but Western theatre has been very influential. Most productions are staged in Cantonese, and a large number are new plays by Hong Kong writers. The fully professional Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (www.hkrep.com) and Chung Ying Theatre Company (www.chungying.com) put on Cantonese productions, very often with English titles. Theatre du Pif (www.thtdupif.com), formed by a professional Scottish-Chinese couple, puts on innovative works incorporating text, movement and visuals, in English and/or Cantonese. Theatre Action (theatreaction.blogspot.com) tackles literary drama texts from Jean Genet to Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Hong Kong Players (www.hongkongplayers.com), consisting of expatriate amateurs, mounts classical and modern productions in English. And Zuni Icosahedron (www.zuni.org.hk) creates conceptual multimedia works known for their experimental format.
Among the more popular venues are the Fringe Club theatres (Click here) in Central. The Hong Kong Cultural Centre (Click here), Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts (Click here), Hong Kong City Hall (Click here) and the Hong Kong Arts Centre (Click here) all host foreign productions, ranging from large-scale Western musicals to minimalist Japanese theatre.
Chinese Opera
Chinese opera (hei kuk), one of the three oldest dramatic art forms in the world, is a colourful, cacophonous spectacle featuring music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics and acting. It is a world away from its Western counterpart and admittedly can take some getting used to. Female characters, whether played by men or women, sing in falsetto. The instrumental accompaniment often takes the form of drumming, gonging and other nonmelodic punctuation. And the whole affair can last four to six hours. But the costumes are splendid and the plots are adapted from legends and historical tales with universal themes. If you happen to attend a performance by a leading Cantonese opera troupe such as Chor Fung Ming, you’ll experience some of the best moments of Chinese opera.
Cantonese opera (yuet-kek) is a regional variety of Chinese opera that has evolved very well in Hong Kong, thanks to a different historical trajectory that has allowed it to retain its traditional features while incorporating influences from newer art forms such as cinema. Though born in Guangdong, it flourished in Hong Kong, particularly in the 1950s when opera virtuosi fleeing China composed and performed a spate of original works in the territory. But soon the limelight shifted to the sleek, leather-clad kid on the block – cinema, and things have been going downhill for Cantonese opera since. A shortage of performance venues is a problem. The privately owned Sunbeam Theatre (Click here) in North Point is the last remaining Cantonese opera theatre in Hong Kong. Despite running three shows a day, it faces a closure crisis every few years when its lease expires, due to exorbitant land prices and government nonchalance.
The best way to experience Cantonese opera is by attending a ‘performance for the gods’ (sun kung hei) in a temporary theatre. During major Chinese festivals, such as the Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival and Tin Hau Festival, rural communities invite troupes to perform. The performances usually take place on a makeshift stage set up in a temple or a bamboo shed, and it is a jovial, laid-back event for the whole family that lasts several days.
For a more formal experience, try the Hong Kong Arts Festival (Click here) in February/March. Ko Shan Theatre (www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/KST) also has Cantonese opera offerings. But the most reliable venue for opera performances year-round is Sunbeam Theatre. At other times, you might stumble upon a performance at