May 14-17
Presented by Asian Art Fairs Ltd, ART HK 09 comes as a four-day fair showcasing the art works of over 110 galleries from 24 countries. Last year’s edition grossed sales of US$20 million and registered 20,000 visitors – at least that number are expected at this year’s fair from May 14-17 at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre. According to the fair’s organizers, highlights will include Antony Gormley’s installation work Transubstantiate, 2008 Chinese Contemporary Art Awards recipient Liu Wei’s semi-abstract painting Purple III and internationally famous Japanese New Pop artist Yoshitomo Nara’s artworks, inspired mainly by childhood and pets. The fair will open for visitors at noon and runs to 9pm on May 14, to 8pm on May 15 and 16 and closes at 6pm on May 17. A full-day ticket costs $200 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

May 15 and 16
Throw together a Sex and the City post-35-year-old female angst, the daring of The Vagina Monologues and some fierce girl power and you get Pussycat Theatre, an original black comedy tackling women’s (and their men’s) worst fear – an aging body. Written, performed and directed by the multi-talented director/writer/actress/host Crystal Kwok, the comedy stars Marsha Yuan, Margaret Kutt and heartthrob Terence Yin. Find answers to some of a woman’s biggest questions – eg, where that floppy skin comes from – through three ladies’ rollercoaster ride into midlife crisis. The comedy runs on May 15 and 16 at 8pm at the Fringe Club Fringe Theatre. Tickets are $250 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.
Aurélien Bory’s latest work, Les Sept Planches de la Ruse (The Seven Boards of Skill), introduces the French artist’s exploration of the beauty of geometry on stage. The ancient Chinese game of tangrams inspires seven huge blocks, which dancers and acrobats from the Dalian School of Opera manipulate into an infinite variety of shapes on stage. It is a poetic showcase of body movement and shape shifting that can be seen as a commentary on man’s relationships to nature and his society. Les Sept Planches de la Ruse runs on May 15 and 16 at 8:15pm at the HK Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Tickets are $390, $290, $220 and $150 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

May 22-24
One of the highlights of the Hong Kong Ballet’s 30th anniversary celebration is the GALAXY International Ballet Gala when some of the world’s brightest ballet stars from The Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Bavarian State Ballet, Berlin State Ballet and Dortmund Opera House Ballet tread the local boards. THe HK Ballet's guest principal dancer, Tan Yuan Yuan, will make a return appearance to Hong Kong with San Francisco Ballet’s Damian Smith, bringing with them three signature works for local audiences: Helgi Tomasson's Romeo and Juliet, Edwaard Liang's Distant Cries and Wang Xin Peng's Tango Duett. The gala features another of today's prima ballerinas, Alina Cojocaru, from The Royal Ballet, making her long-awaited debut on the Hong Kong stage with her partner Johan Kobborg. GALAXY runs on May 22-23 at 7:30pm and on May 24 at 2:30pm at the HK Cultural Centre. Tickets are $1000, $600, $400, $260, $140 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

May 22-31
Having premiered in 2007, W Theatre’s Little Hong Kong is an hilarious parody of today’s Hong Kong people described through various characters in several sketches – think along the line of Little Britain and you’ll get the idea. Little Hong Kong – Season 2 is not simply a rerun of the successful first show but a collection of brand-new sketches in which award-winning actor Joey Leung guarantee laughs with multi role-plays. In one he demonstrates how the xenophile ‘Angelababy’ uses her unique character to hook up with rich single men, in another how ‘gay Michael’ gets a career lift-off in Bollywood playing a cameo and also how a typical Hong Kong couple divorce by making a scene. Tickets sold out soon after the box office opened so three extra performances have been added. Little Hong Kong – Season 2 now runs from May 22-24 and 26-30 at 8:15pm and May 31 at 3:15pm at the Kwai Tsing Theatre Auditorium. Tickets are $300, $240 and $180 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

May 27-30
Based on a Stephen King novel, Misery revolves around best-selling romantic novelist Paul Sheldon who retreats to Colorado every winter to write about his fictional heroine, Misery Chastain. Driving towards his retreat in severe weather, his car goes off the road and he is injured – when he comes to after the accident, his nightmare begins. His ‘No 1 fan’, Annie, has virtually imprisoned him in her home and forces him to write a new chapter every day. Presented by Wordybird Theatre and directed by Daren Durkin, the play stars Barry O’Rorke and Candice Moore as Paul and Annie. Misery will run from May 27-30 at 7:45pm with an extra matinee at 2:30pm on May 30 at the Fringe Club Fringe Theatre. Tickets are $220 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

May 27 and 30
Two upcoming Mando-pop concerts at the Coliseum surely demonstrate the meaning of an economy of scale in recession times. Putting a few artists, each with a sizable audience base, together guarantees a full house – and fans are happy to pay the price for their favourite if it includes performances by three or four other top-class pop artists as well. On May 27 at 8:15pm, Huang Pin Yuan, Bobby Chan and Phil Chang will share the stage in the Three Good Men concert – tickets are $480, $280 and $180; while at 8:15pm on May 30, the five Mando-pop divas Lin Wanfang, Winnie Hsin, Shino, Kit Chan and legendary Pan Michelle will gather at Join for the Love Club Concert, a night of love and tenderness for $480, $250 and $150. Tickets are from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Until May 24
Commitment issues get the going-over in A Flea in Her Ear, a comedy written by French playwright Georges Feydeau in 1907 during the Belle Époque (Beautiful Era). In Paris, the lovely Raymonde Chandebise starts to doubt the fidelity of her husband, Victor Emmanuel, after years of marriage when he suddenly becomes sexually inactive. Her old friend, Lucienne, suggests a ‘test’ for Emmanuel – she will write him a love letter requesting a rendezvous at a hotel. The encounter, of course, leads to a series of endless conflicts and love affairs among the characters, and much laughter in the audience. Presented by HK Repertory Theatre and directed by its artistic director Anthony Chan, the classic French play will run from May 14-16 and 19-23 at 7:45pm and May 10, 16-17 and 23-24 at 2:45pm at the HK City Hall Theatre. Tickets are $220-$120 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Until June 6
Molko Chan is modest enough to say she doesn’t know a lot about photography but her Normalife – Lomography Exhibiton will showcase pictures taken on the 24-year-old’s favourite camera – a Lomo LC-A from Russia – during her travels and work in Australia last year. Though the motto of lomography is ‘Don’t think, just shoot’, the amateur photographer hopes visitors will stop for a moment and reflect on her works. They range from an old man sitting alone in the park to a still life in the woods, each image conveying something of Chan’s own life. The exhibition runs daily at the Culture Club Gallery (15 Elgin St, Soho, Central, 2127 7936). Entry is free.

Remembering June 4
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the June 4th incident and P-at-riot are not going to let us forget it. Their Feng Yu Piao Yao Hi Guo Shi features an art response to the incident by a group of 19 youths born in the ’80s, the last generation to have any memory of the fateful day. Mediums used include LEGO blocks, paper prints and multi-media and a series of photographs collected from the public, books and clippings as well as video interviews will also be on display. The exhibition will run from May 16 to June 14 at the Artist Commune, Cattle Depot. Opening hours are from 12-8pm daily, closed on Mondays. Entry is free.

While 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the June 4th incident, it is also the year of the 90th anniversary of the May 4th Movement. Initialized by intellectuals at the time, both commemorate important markers in modern China’s history, demonstrating the people’s quest for progress and democracy. In From May Fourth to June Fourth – Exhibition and Performance Art Festival, artists from Myanmar, China, USA, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and Macau will work with local counterparts in visual artworks as well as a performance piece at the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre from 10am-8pm daily until June 4. For a full schedule of performances, visit www.cccd.hk. Entry is free.

Looking Ahead...
June 4-16
Illusion
Tel: 2122 9657

June 6-7, 10-14
Animal Geographic
Tel: 2734 9009

June 9-10
Little Stories.com
Tel: 31 288 288

June 12-13
The Penelopes Live in HK
Tel: 31 288 288

June 18-28
He is Kong Girl She is Kong Boy
Tel: 31 288 288

June 19-20
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Tel: 2734 9009

July 3-11
Design for Living
Tel: 31 288 288

[ Next issue - 4 june 2009 ]