Until June 27
She Came From Beijing, a musical written by Harriett Chung and featuring the songs of Canto/Mandopop diva Faye Wong, tells the struggles of a girl who arrives in Hong Kong from the capital and tries hard to fit into this metropolis while establishing a romantic relationship. Starring veteran actress Perry Chui and comedian Cheung Tat Ming, the musical is directed by Ko Chi Sum and Garrick Wong and will be staged at the Sheung Wan Civic Centre Theatre from today and on to June 20, 23, 26 and 27 at 8:15pm; June 20 and 21 at 5pm, and June 21 at 2:15pm. Ticket prices range from $250-$150 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

June 18-21
Theatre Fanatico launches a surprising season of experimental theatre with Square For Five, a solo play starring Lam Yin as a 30-something actress whose mother suddenly goes missing. The actress seeks help from five notorious women from Shakespeare’s works but ends up realizing she is on a path of no return. Directed by Ho Ying Fung, Square For Five involves the heavy use of live music, multi-media and installations. The solo play will be staged from June 18-21 at 8pm at the HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity Multi-media Arts Theatre. Tickets are $100, which you can reserve by calling 2639 5065 or emailing info@theatrefanatico.org.

June 18-28
Talking of stereotypes, the biggest ongoing debate in Hong Kong may be about the Hong Kong boys and girls commonly known as ‘Kong Nam’ and ‘Kong Nui’. Kong Nam make less than $30,000 a month, have a social life in the virtual world playing online games and don’t possess any knowledge other than football betting odds and how to trade game weapons on line. Kong Nui generally refers to girls who would die (or starve) for designer labels, are unable or unwilling to cook or do housework, and assume their boyfriends will pay for everything they buy on a date. You can catch both in all their embarrassing splendour in Jim Chim and Edward Lam’s collaboration, He is Kong Girl, She is Kong Boy. In the one-man-show Chim, the hottest comedian in town, creates parodies that promise to make you laugh till your stomach hurts even while you cringe seeing the shadow of yourself on stage. The show runs from June 18 till 28 at the HK Cultural Centre Grand Theatre, and although the tickets are all sold out, you can keep your eyes peeled for the rerun in October – check out ticket information at HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

June 19-21
Tang Shu Wing continues his challenge to local theatre with an adaptation of Shakespeare’s early work, Titus Andronicus. Different from any previous Shakespearean adaptation, Titus Andronicus 2.0, in which the lead character takes terrible revenge on the queen of the Goths for the brutal torture and killing of his daughter, will be narrated, Rashomon-like, from seven perspectives. The show runs from June 19-21 at 8pm and June 20 and 21 at 3pm in the HK City Hall Theatre and tickets are $180 and $120 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

June 25-28
Your Fred Astaire moment awaits at Beat Me TAP, the latest production from R & T. Freshly established last year by choreographer Ken Kwok, Eve Leung and musician Andy Cheung, R & T fosters original tap dancing in Hong Kong. The troupe give street performances every Wednesday in Mong Kok but are now also bringing their skills to the stage with some of the most inspiring tap dancers in Hong Kong. Pori from Japan, who took home the championship prize from the 2007 Tap Dancing Festival in Chicago, will be the guest performer. Get your toes tapping on June 25 and 26 from 8pm and 27 and 28 at 3pm and 8pm at the JCCAC Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $160 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Saturday, June 27
Newly formed Matchbox theatre group aim to promote arts and theatre culture within the South Asian community in Hong Kong, starting with the one-act English comedy I Stay. It tells the story of Mani who, working for an Indian firm in the city, strives to persuade his boss to give him a promotion. Directed by Alok Jain, the show will be staged on June 27 at 7:15pm at Wei Hing Theatre, 6/F, Amenities Building, City University. Tickets are priced at $80 from Poonam (6605 7065), Alok (9768 9080) or Karishma (9418 8301).

Wednesday, July 1
A celebration or a protest, it will be your choice in the ‘big walk’ by the Civil Human Rights Front on the 12th anniversary of the handover. The organizers have designed slogan T-shirts for the day – and, no doubt, other organizations with barrows to push will be doing the same, each for their particular cause. Check www.civilhrfront.org for updates on time, meeting points etc.

Until July 4
When MV Doulos, the world’s oldest active ocean-going passenger ship, first visited Hong Kong in 2007 it attracted 100,000 visitors. Now this floating book fair, which has travelled to over 100 countries, is returning to the city on July 4 with some 6,000 titles and a mission to raise funds for relief work in Cambodia. Also on board you will find a historical retrospective for the ship’s 95th anniversary and an international music and dance café. The fee for boarding at 2/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City is $10 and the ship is open to the public from 10am-9pm on Tuesday to Saturday, and from 2pm-9pm on Sunday and Monday (except June 22, 10am-9pm, and July 4, 10am-6pm).

Until July 12
The A Wreath for Madame Kawakita retrospective continues until July – this may be your last chance to catch some of the most prominent works of iconic Japanese directors. Madame Kawakita – or Kawakita Kashiko in full – never directed or acted in a film, yet she is widely regarded as the mother of Japanese cinema for her lifetime dedication to the work of Towa Shoji, helping the productions of cinematic greats like Kurosawa Akira, Oshima Nagisa and Ichikawa Kon, and by introducing films of international directors like Jean Renoir, Luis Buñuel and Ingmar Bergman to Japan. Of the eight directors selected for this retrospective, the highlights of remaining screenings include Kurosawa Akira’s Rashomon, Imamura Shohei’s Vengeance is Mine, Yamada Yoji’s The Yellow Handkerchief and Suzuki Seijun’s Zigeunerweisen. For a full schedule, check out our listings section. Tickets to screenings are $50 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Until September 28
Christian Dior saw the immediate post-war decade as a golden age in fashion, and fashion addicts can relive it in The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957, as part of the Le French May festival. This exhibition displays over 100 dresses, mainly from the collection of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, designed by masters like Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, Hubert de Givenchy and, of course, Dior. From day wear to evening gowns for those in society’s higher echelons, these are not the kind of frocks we are ever likely to come across in our day-to-day existences. Also in the exhibition, works from famous fashion photographers Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon complement documentaries and other archive materials. Visit the HK Heritage Museum from now till September 28 for the exhibition – opening hours are 10am-6pm on Mondays and Wednesdays through to Saturdays and till 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Tickets are $20, except on Wednesdays when they are $10.

Looking Ahead...
July 3-5
Very Dance!
Tel: 2734 9009

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

July 11 and 12, 14-17, 19-21
Richard III
Tel: 2734 9009

July 16-18
Cheer U Up
Tel: 31 288 288

July 16-19
Dream Wedding Leon Live Summer 09
Tel: 2734 9009

July 24-26
This is Rock’n’Roll Live
Tel: 2734 9009

July 31
The Radio Dept
Tel: 31 288 288

August 3
Placebo
Tel: 31 288 288