Reviews
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Review-Macbeth-Sweet & Sour Productions17-4-15
The show starts as we enter a dim lit room. Who else is there to fill its presence but the three sinister Weird Sisters? Eerily lurking in their corners and conjuring the mists to rise around them. The set tells all: a solemn crown rests upon a Scottish flag in the midst of a floor marked with the signs of war – and above all this hangs a menacing and tattered blanket of ruin.
Review- The Sin Family- Hong Kong Rep2-4-15
English speaking audience members often shy away from seeing Chinese work. They think they won't understand the scripts or the jokes but often times seeing work in another language can really open your mind to what is happening in our city behind closed doors. Matthew Cheng's The Sin Family is about a contemporary, upper-class and highly dysfunctional family in Hong Kong. They have too much money, a lot of problems and they don't talk about these issues until they implode.
Review- Cavalia1-4-15
If you can lead a horse to water but not make him drink... can you lead a horse to a show and make him perform?
Review- INFECTION- Black Sheep Theatre27-3-15
“INFECTION” tries to grapple with several large issues: discrimination and pathologization of homosexuality, HIV ignorance and social control, just to name just a few. The drama starts with a premise: “In a world where conformity is law, an infection is spreading.” In a hypothetical setting of an Orwellian society, the Big Brother is watching, and everyone performs mechanically. In this tightly controlled society, hygiene is prioritized; not just in terms of physically sanitizing your hands, but also your sexuality. Any deviation from the hegemonic heterosexual orientation is deemed perverse and medication is needed to “correct" it. As a manner of social control, the homosexual people are “diagnosed” or labeled as “infected” and thus, institutionalized. The infection is likened to HIV where there is no cure and the characters are infested with a negative social stigma. Discrimination prevails, even within the family unit.
Review- Small Eyes for a Black Face-Brave Heart Theatre27-3-15
Before the show had even started, I walked into the Premium Sofa Club to live fiesta rhythms that anticipated the high-energy fairytale to come. And Braveheart Theatre’s production of Small Eyes for a Black Face was a fairy-tale in all senses of the word. Fan Lee (Sandy Lau), a student studying sociology at CUHK, travels to the fictional Kingdom of Zamunda in Africa for a cultural exchange project and chances upon Prince Akum (Darius Dzado) who is in turn searching for a true love who he can claim as his queen. For the rest of the tale, one follows the budding lovers as they explore the culture of the land—from farming to dancing—and overcome the odds of traditional boundaries, parental disapproval and cultural differences.
Review-Smashed-Hong Kong Arts Festival20-3-15
What do you get when you put nine jugglers, 80 apples and a kitchen cupboard full of crockery on a stage? Smashed! The program’s synopsis promised to challenge my perception of contemporary juggling but to be honest, I’m not sure I had one. What the show did provide was an hour of unexpected, unabated entertainment. A sign on the door warned that the show contained ‘loud smashing’ and was not suitable for children under the age of eight.
Review-Planet Egg-Hong Kong Arts Festival16-3-15
What happens when a tiny robot lands on a planet of eggs whose inhabitants are walking talking vegetables and fungi? The creative minds behind PuppetCinema set out to explore just that premise.
Review-The Sleeping Beauty-Hong Kong Ballet14-3-15
The Hong Kong Ballet presented their production of The Sleeping Beauty at Shatin Town Hall last night. One of Tchaikovsky’s most beloved ballets, it has what I think is some of his best music. The Sleeping Beauty theme has captivated the hearts of young girls for generations; simply hearing the opening notes of the songs transports you to a magic world of spinning wheels, princesses and evil queens.
Review-Asia Pacific Dance Platform-Hong Kong Arts Festival8-3-15
Asia Pacific Dance Platform VII consists of two pieces. It began with Hyoseung Ye’s short autobiographical solo dance Traces in which he negotiated with his dancer’s body. After 10 minutes’ break, the set design was changed for a dual dance 2 Men in which Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia wrestled with the boundary of their 17 year friendship. Both pieces are very personal and heartfelt expressions through movement. I was electrified at one moment, laughed and smiled at another and had a very enjoyable night. I would recommend these two pieces as well worth checking out.
Review-Thinner than Water-Aurora Theatre5-3-15
Are there some families where blood is actually thinner than water?
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