July 2-5, 9-12
Trinity Theatre’s musical Sing A Long has twice proved to be a nostalgic hit, particularly for those who grew up with and loved Cantopop of the ’80s. Through the songs of Leslie Cheung, Danny Chan and Anita Mui among others, it tells the story of the loves, friendships, families and dreams of a group of friends born in the 20 years before the millennium. This, the third run of the show, may be an even greater attraction than its predecessors with Twins’ sweetheart Charlene Choi and pop/rock princess Kary Ng as guest stars. The show will run from July 2-5, 9-12 at 8pm with two matinees at 3pm on July 4 and 5. Choi will appear in performances from July 2-5, while Ng will continue in Choi’s role for the rest of the run. Catch the show at the HK Art Centre Shouson Theatre – tickets are $280, $180 and $120 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

July 3 and 4
After training at the Central Music School of Moscow and the Moscow Conservatory, violinist Viktoria Mullova rose to international fame after winning first prize at the 1980 Sibelius Competition in Helsinki and the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1982. With a passion for Baroque music, Mullova has recorded a series of acclaimed CDs for Philips Classics and has toured with top-class orchestras including the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the London Symphony Orchestra. The violinist and her ‘Jules Falk’ 1723 Stradivarius and Guadagnini violins will be visiting Hong Kong for a concert with the HK Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the HKPO’s guest conductor Zhang Xian, following a successful performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major at the London Proms. Mullova reprises the Brahms concerto for her concert with the HKPO in a programme that also includes the German master’s Three Hungarian Dances and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. The two concerts on July 3 and 4 will be staged at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall at 8pm. Tickets are $380, $280, $200 and $150 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

July 3-5
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the City Contemporary Dance Company, Helen Lai’s Very Dance! brings together CCDC dancers and special guest Sunny Pang, the prominent pioneer of modern dance choreography, to depict the joys and hardships of a modern dancer. From reflections in the rehearsal room mirror to warm-ups backstage, the performance uses body language to show what it is really like to be a dancer. Catch Very Dance! on July 3 and 4 at 8pm and July 4 and 5 at 3pm in the HK Cultural Centre Studio Theatre. Tickets are $200 and $160 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Since forming in 1960, the Hebei Clapper Opera Troupe of Beijing have performed over 150 productions on both the Mainland and international tours, taking this traditional art form as far as Columbia and Greece. Hebei Clapper Opera, a major form among the 300-plus different kinds of Chinese opera, is recognized for its great contrasts of emotional expression, tragedy being the best in its repertory. In their coming visit to Hong Kong, the troupe will be performing the full-length productions The Injustice Done to Dou E and The Bitten Mark on July 3 and 4 respectively, while their final show on July 5 will be a collection of excerpts from Wu Han Killing His Wife, Kou Zhun with His Boots on His Back and Du Shiniang. The three shows will be staged at the HK City Hall Theatre at 7:30pm, and tickets are $240, $160 and $100 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

July 3-17
Believe it or not, machete-shaped eyebrows and disproportionately large eyes used to be the aesthetic standard for men in the 1970s, thanks to the hugely popular Dragon Tiger Gate and other “Hong Kong-style” comics which stirred up a kung fu craze for a whole generation. The characters from such graphic novels often solved problems with their fists while their eyes remained innocent and pure – a feature that captured the hearts of teenagers in the ’70s and ’80s. Artist Fung Hing Keung’s latest exhibition in the Hong Kong Style series is a tribute to such classic characters as Dragon and Tiger Wong. The exhibition runs from July 3 to 17 at the Fringe Club Slowear Gallery. Opening hours are from noon till 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and entry is free.

July 3-19
Local theatre pioneer Edward Lam and actress/director Sylvia Chang’s first stage collaboration, Design for Living, was a huge success on its initial tour of the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong earlier in the year: Tickets for its first run in Hong Kong back in March sold out in two days. The production now returns for its second run at HKAPA. Described by Lam as a modern version of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and written and performed by Chang, Design for Living is a collection of 13 stories of “office class” people, their aspirations, successes and relationships. Lam says the production is about the keys to living: To survive, one needs to
be smart and to live one must have wisdom. The show stars Taiwanese heartthrob Joseph Cheng – another important reason for the show’s success – David Wang and Chu Hung Chang as Sylvia Chang’s personal assistant, lover and ex-husband respectively. Design for Living runs from July 3-6, 8-12, 14-19 at 7:30pm from Monday to Saturday, and 2:30pm on Sundays at the HKAPA Lyrics Theatre. Tickets are $480, $320 and $200 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

Friday, July 10
The golden voice of Taiwan’s Fei Yu Ching became well known among the younger generation after his duet with megastar Jay Chou in Faraway on Chou’s 2006 album Still Fantasy. But his career actually started in the ’70s when, as a popular variety show host (he is surprisingly good at telling dirty jokes) and singer, melodies like Goodnight Song and A Spray of Plum Blossoms became hits with his countrymen. The 53-year-old, together with a full orchestra and a US$50,000 microphone, will be staging his first concert in Hong Kong on July 10 at 8:15pm in the HK Coliseum. Tickets at $680, $400 and $200 are subsequently more pricy than those for usual pop concerts – you can get them from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

July 10 and 11
Not only did the display of the metres-long hand scroll Going Upriver at the Qingming Festival in the HK Museum of Art stir up an almost universal appreciation of traditional fine art, it also inspired Song Fei. The erhu artist and vice president of the China Conservatory uses the whole spectrum of the huqin family to bring musical life to the symphonic poem on the scroll composed by Shi Zhiyou. You can be part of this musical adventure into Chinese history by the HK Chinese Orchestra and Song Fei on July 10 and 11 at 8pm in the HKCEC Concert Hall. Tickets are $260, $200 and $120 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

July 15- 16
Rick Lau’s solo cabaret My Queer Valentine will be travelling to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009 this August and then to London in September. Prior to his departure, he will give an ‘out-of-town try-out’ at the Fringe Club on July 15 and 16. The sometimes soulful, always funny one-man show features classic songs, from Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim to the modern sexual ambiguity of Mika and Rufus Wainwright. Catch Rick before he leaves on July 15 and 16 at the Fringe Club Fringe Theatre at 8pm. Tickets are $180 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

Looking Ahead...
July 19
inLove Tonight
Tel: 2734 9009

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

July 28 and 29
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Tel: 2734 9009

July 31
The Radio Dept
Tel: 31 288 288

July 30-August 1
Lingnan Impressions
Tel: 2734 9009

August 3
Placebo
Tel: 31 288 288

August 14-16
Shadow Box
Tel: 2734 9009

August 27-29
I Ought To Be In Pictures
Tel: 31 288 288

September 26
An Evening With Il Divo
Tel: 31 288 288

September 30-October 4
Wild Wild Rose
Tel: 31 288 288

[ Next issue - 16 july 2009 ]