Under the theme A Moveable Feast, the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre 2016-17 season offers 15 productions ranging from international classics, local new works, translations of beloved masterworks as well as original musicals, in addition to the 2nd International Black Box Festival.
At the launch Artistic Director Anthony Chan said of the new season “Time flies, and the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre has been going for 39 years. As the most established professional theatre company in Hong Kong, we have continuously strived to sow the seed of theatre in the local soil, to offer cultural nutrients, so to speak, to the general public, and to offer a sumptuous feast of live performing arts, contributing to the wider arts sector of our city. As we look forward to the milestone of our 40th anniversary, we are thankful towards our many predecessors who have guided our growth and development throughout the journey. We are grateful to have Dr. Daniel Yang, HKRep’s very first Artistic Director, and Dr. Fredric Mao, our Director Laureate working with us this season. I hope that this “Moveable Feast” of theatre will not only be sumptuous treats to be enjoyed, but also inspire and provide many new ideas and opportunities for reflection, through presenting the vast and diverse range of flavours of the theatre world”.
Here is a brief introduction to the HKRep’s Moveable Feast’s productions:
Footprints in the Snow
A script newly rediscovered is the “footprints in the snow” of a late playwright. It is also a love that could not be let go and a clash between two generations of Chinese operatic art. Footprints in the Snow’s world premiere production inaugurated the Ko Shan Theatre’s New Wing; the current new production will be directed by Anthony Chan, Artistic Director of HKRep, with a new cast and crew, running from 2nd to 13th April at the HK City Hall Theatre. It is also the opening production for the 10th Chinese Drama Festival.
Whose Wife is it Anyway?
Olivier Best Comedy Award-winning British farcical comedy classic Whose Wife is it Anyway? follows the story of a political figure who is constantly under public scrutiny. He has just made a classic mistake – having an affair. His wife approaches the hotel where he meets his lover, and a murder has just taken place at the hotel. Is it possible to still come out of the situation with his reputation untainted? Dr. Daniel Yang, HKRep’s very first Artistic Director directs a production that runs from 28 May to 12 June at the HK City Hall Theatre.
The Sin Family
Following The Last Supper, Matthew Cheng brings to the live stage another black comedy examining family relationships in Hong Kong, boldly exposing the ever-declining sense of traditional values by the new generation. Mr. and Mrs. Sit have raised their son with abundant material comfort, his every move along the way is impeccably planned and executed. Their son has wanted for nothing – except for a “harmonious” family. On a rare occasion, the family of three finds themselves in the same room… An absurd yet tragic struggle within a family. Directed by Fung Wai Hang, Resident Director of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, The Sin Family runs from 22 July to 1 August at the HK City Hall Theatre.
Three Brothers
A mother has left behind a huge inheritance, leaving her three sons to try and come up with a plan, and as a result get on the nerves of their better halves. Three women not related by blood are losing their tempers for an inheritance that has nothing to do with them. Three Brothers bring rising star playwright Tang Sai Cheong and director Lee Chun Chow, a winner of both the HK Drama Awards’ Best Director Award as well as Best Actor Award. The production runs from 6 to 14 August at the HK City Hall Theatre.
Hu Xueyan, My Dear
The time is late Qing dynasty. Hu Xueyan, one of the country’s wealthiest merchant, is actively acquiring weapons and military supplies, in full support of General Zuo Zongtang against the threat of foreign invasion by the Eight-Nation Alliance. Li Hongzhang, who has been at odds with Zuo over the years, is closing in on Hu in an act to eliminate those who get in his way. How does Hu, at the peak of his career, tackle with the situation? Winner of the HK Drama Awards Best Script Award, Hu Xueyan, My Dear is another collaboration between playwright Paul Poon and director Roy Szeto, following the acclaimed Qing court drama The Emperor, his Mom, a Eunuch and a Man. The production runs from 12 to 30 October at the HK City Hall Theatre.
Field of Dreams – A Musical 2017
In 1936, Lee Wai-Tong, the King of Football in Hong Kong, led the Republic of China football team, the Asian champion, to compete in the Berlin Olympics. Eight footballers from Lo Wai, a small fishing village made history taking their dreams and passion beyond Hong Kong, into the international arena. The world premiere of Field of Dreams received four HK Drama Awards. With Leon Ko as composer and Chris Shum as lyricist, the duo behind the Hong Kong musical film Perhaps Love, Field of Dreams is directed and written by Anthony Chan, Artistic Director of HKRep. The 2017 production runs from 7 to 15 January 2017 at the HK Cultural Centre Grand Theatre and features the Hong Kong Dance Company and a live orchestral accompaniment.
The Homecoming
Philosophy professor Teddy returns home from the U.S. to the U.K. with his wife Ruth. While at home, the couple’s relationship begins to change and the distance between them grows. Teddy’s father Max later finds out about the flirtatious relationships between Teddy’s two brothers and Ruth. As Teddy considers going back to America with her, Max comes up with a surprising suggestion…What path would Ruth follow? Only she herself can decide. Written by Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, The Homecoming was awarded the Tony Award for Best Play. Employing controversial language and depicting equally provocative relationships, The Homecoming reveals the abnormality and corrupted conventions in the patriarchal society of 19th century Britain. Featuring a new translation by Paul Poon, the current production is directed by Ceri Sherlock, Chair of the School of Drama at the HK Academy for Performing Arts. The production runs from 7 to 19 March 2017 at the HK Arts Centre Shouson Theatre.
Black Box Productions
Sing Your Life a Musical
Drunken birthday parties, tear-jerking wedding banquets and major family gatherings that bring everyone together – if these no longer keep you entertained, or if you have lost interest in work, love, or even life itself, we will tailor-create songs that are exclusively yours, turning the best moments in your life into beautiful music to form a musical theatre piece, so that you can share your own story with friends and family on weddings, birthday parties and family gatherings. Brought to you by HKRep actor and actress Pichead Amornsomboon and Kwok Ching Man, Sing your Life a Musical: 14-26 June at the HKRep Black Box.
Roads to Chicken Pie
In a future city, the DNAs of chicken have been altered to become just like those of human. As a result, chicken has become a culinary delicacy. These chickens have been trained to speak to the restaurant’s customers before being slaughtered. The chicken pies into which they were made are exceptional and simply unforgettable. Driven by the desire to become a real human being, chicken #0926 decides to take control of its own destiny at all costs and escapes its cage. In this city where chickens and human are hard to differentiate, who can escape fate and achieve the so-called real freedom? Roads to Chicken Pie, part of the New Wrighting Series, runs from 14-23 January 2017 at the HKRep Black Box.
An Unjust Good Fellow
One day, a priest sees an old scavenger being pushed onto the ground on a street. He comes over to help, yet in her confusion she sues the priest for injuring her and demands a compensation of $66,600. A lawyer friend suggests the priest pay the compensation in order to resolve the case. The priest believes justice must be upheld and rejects the suggestion. The lawyer soon finds the evidence to clear the priest’s name. Yet at this point the priest decides to show mercy and changes his mind and chooses to withhold the truth. In a world where moral values have become twisted and distorted, is remaining true to one’s principles the only way forward? An Unjust Good Fellow, part of the New Wrighting Series, runs from 11 to 20 March 2017 at the HKRep Black Box.
International Black Box Festival 2016 – The Colours of Humanity
Toneelgroep Amsterdam (Netherlands): La Voix Humaine
Adapted from a work of the same title by renowned French Poet and Director Jean Cocteau, La voix humaine is directed by Ivo van Hove, Artistic Director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam. Halina Reijn stars in the tale of a woman who lingers at the edge of a complete emotional breakdown after breaking up with her boyfriend. Through telephone conversations, she attempts to rescue a love already lost. Dwelling on her memories and delusive thoughts, she makes a decision in the end – a decision of life. The first production of the International Black Box Festival 2016. La voix humaine: 15-17 April at the HK City Hall Theatre.
Performer Studio (Hong Kong): Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral
Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral is Performer Studio Hong Kong’s reinterpretation of a timeless classic by Pao Kun Kuo, a forefather of Singaporean theatre. Zheng He, the great navigator, politician and military strategist achieved extraordinary success, yet he was still suffering from the humiliation and anger of being castrated. Both his body and his soul suffered. In a fiercely competitive contemporary society, people may seem happy on the surface, but inside they may well have suffered from various levels of castration, their identities deformed and twisted. Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral: 15-23 October at the HKRep Black Box.
Mǒbius Strip Theatre (Taipei): The 9 Fridas
Taipei’s Möbius Strip Theatre presents The 9 Fridas written by British playwright Kaite O’Reilly and directed by Phillip Zarrilli; a renowned advocate of a system of theatre training in which body and mind become one. The work utilises soliloquys, dialogues, videos and narrations to create and examine Frida Kahlo’s struggles with life. The artist is celebrated for her bold and vibrant self-portraits, depicting herself in her iconic unibrow. She used her physical disability and her unyielding will power to challenge conventional gender ideas, political tyranny, and the power dynamics of various kinds. The 9 Fridas: 27-30 October at the HKRep Black Box.
Bkyuyugekitai (Japan): Asagao
Asagao is a new work created last year by playwright Tsukuda Norihiko, the main creative force behind Bkyuyugekitai in Japan for the International Black Box Festival. Following Shed Skin, Asagao is another allegorical tale with a fantastical plot, featuring the playwright himself as an actor. After working away from home for six months, a husband returns, only to find that the wall and the patio of the house are overgrown with morning glory vines, suggesting that it has been left vacant for a while. Yet the night before, he was still speaking to his wife on the phone. An estate agent appears all of a sudden, bringing with him a secret that leaves the husband in even greater confusion of his wife’s whereabouts. Asagao: 3-6 November at the HKRep Black Box..
Creative VaQi (South Korea): Before After
Before After is created collectively by young South Korean director Lee Kyung-sung and the actors. The work is divided into sections based on time. It shows the changes that occur before and after a devastating event. A time before and after is created after a tragic, irreversible event. What experiences do we go through that make us realize that an event has affected “our” lives? The play begins by answering this question. Before After: 17-20 November at the HKRep Black Box.
