Reviews
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Review-Jason and the Argonauts-AFTEC6-12-14
I've always thought of physical theatre as a much more visceral experience. The audience is engaged differently than in a traditional piece of theatre where they listen more than watch. Physical theatre is also different than dance or corporeal mime for me, in that it blends theatre/dance together. I was intrigued that known theatre director Vicki Ooi wanted to do her first physical theatre piece at the age of 72. She employed the assistance of Michael Brown, the movement director of War Horse for the Royal National Theatre in London.
Review-IndepenDANCE Taiwan-CCDC5-12-14
Continuing to celebrate their 35th anniversary, the City Contemporary Dance Company invited artistic director of MeimageDance Ho Hsiao-mei and her team from Taiwan to bring three new works to Hong Kong audiences. The three performances were delightful to watch and the dancers’ skills superb. All three dance performances explored different themes and it was refreshing to see the different interpretations and influences of our Taiwanese counterparts, even if I didn’t always make the connection.
Review-Choreographers' Showcase-The Hong Kong Ballet29-11-14
A total of eight works were featured last night and all were choreographed by dancers of the Hong Kong Ballet for the dancers of the Hong Kong Ballet. While it was a pleasurable evening overall, marked with ample athleticism and technique, there was a definite lack of vision and experimentation.
Review-Romance-Aurora Theatre20-11-14
David Mamet’s Romance puts a Jewish defendant, his anti-Semitic, Christian lawyer, a gay prosecutor and a pill-popping judge in a courtroom, throwing in an idiot savant cum peacemaker bailiff for good measure. What unfolds is a rib-tickling, at times farcical and often downright depressing court case for which the charge is only revealed minutes before the play’s end.
Review-Tear Gas-Brave Heart Theatre20-11-14
I wasn’t planning on being the critic for Tear Gas. Although I’ve been deeply encompassed in the political events happening in Hong Kong the past 51 days, I wanted a Hong Kong perspective on a show that described itself as a “satirical view on the events of Occupy Central”. Unfortunately, there were schedule clashes with the local critics and I was the one who was left to cover the event. How would a foreigner feel about a show written about Occupy Central from the perspective of a domestic helper? It was like looking at a box inside a box. Though not planned, I’m glad I got to see the show and that I was opened up to a new perspective on the events at #umhk.
Review-Ravens, We Shall Load Bullets-New Vision Arts Festival15-11-14
There is probably no better time for Hong Kong audiences to watch this Japanese production about suppression and rebellion, about order and violence and about generational struggles. The 30 seniors-turned-artists from Yukio Ninagawa’s Saitama Gold Theatre and the 24 young cast members from his Saitama Next Theatre were seamlessly complemented by the impressive set design (by Tsukasa Nakagoshi), sound design (by Shuichi Tomobe) and lighting (by Takahiro Fujita). They wove together a magical, memorable night at the theatre.
Review-An Evening with the Bard-HKPFF13-11-14
An Evening with the Bard promises to make Shakespeare palatable to everyone – “Anyone who loves Shakespeare, or..." I have to confess I fall squarely into the latter category, which is why I was dubious of this claim. When one of the characters in “Sorry, Shakespeare!” jokes that he still can’t tell the difference between Hamlet and Macbeth, I genuinely mean it when I say I can’t. But even I knew something was strange when Petruchio and “Hermia” visit their good friend Macbeth to woo the recently and hastily divorced Lady Macbeth. It’s seeing the insane somersaults in logic to have the jumbled-up scripts make sense which makes this such a fun experience for audience members.
Review-Rice-New Vision Arts Festival8-11-14
Cloud Gate is known as one of the most prolific modern dance companies in Asia. I had the pleasure of seeing them a few years ago at the Hong Kong Arts Festival when they performed Legend of White Snake. They’re known for three particular things: a fusion of modern dance with martial arts, a blending of slow, extended movement with frenetic energy and a unique voice that tells Chinese stories in a new way.
Review-Impromptu Pantomime-HKPFF8-11-14
No pre-written scripts, no dialogue, no set design or props. There were folded Post-it notes on which the audience wrote down “object”, “location” and “event” and they put them into several colorful magic hats. The audience picked one or a few words from the hats and set the trigger; then the performers (Eric, Betty, Ricky and Plato Timothy) transformed themselves into animals or objects, constructed different settings and narrated short, memorable moments. It was a challenging task to keep improvising gags with their bodies, but the performers certainly did a great job as the audience found themselves almost always smiling or laughing out aloud.
Review-Hedda Gabler-New Vision Arts Festival7-11-14
“I feel like we’ve gone back in time.” So whispered the gentleman next to me to his friend last night during the New Vision Arts Festival’s premiere of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler directed by the acclaimed Adrian Noble. Indeed as the cast, dressed in wonderful fin de siècle European costumes (by Mandy Tam), performed on a four-sided stage furnished with red velvet chaise lounge, high-backed armchairs, candle lamps and a wooden writing desk, one felt temporarily transported to another time.
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