Reviews
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Review-Standing Bird 2-HKPFF6-11-14
A one-hour piece of solo dance theatre, Standing Bird 2 explores the metamorphic journey of a woman spreading her wings through movement, sound and imagery. Directed by Sally Richardson and performed by Jacqui Claus (Dance Australia Critics Choice ‘Most Outstanding Female Dancer 2012’), the performance impressed and unnerved with demanding body images and dance.
Review-Lost and Found-HKPFF2-11-14
A slow, spacious elevator carried me to the 7th floor of Wah Mow Factory Building. In the small but maze-like Unlock Dancing Plaza (UDP) U-Studio (there are layers of black and white drapery), I took my shoes off and sat in their comfortable floor chairs, (there were also around 15 chairs in the second row). Within the 60 minute performance, we laughed and sighed a little bit as the 5 performers slipped into different costumes and identities.
Review-BiLOOMS-HKPFF1-11-14
In a small, shabby Wan Chai flat a young woman sits on the edge of a black sofa, her back to the door, her face to the windows. Motionless. A flimsy gauze curtain hangs between the woman and the audience. A young man ritualistically wipes the floor. A group of people scramble to find a space on the floor and sit expectantly. We wait. In silence, the sitting woman starts to move. And so begins a fascinating and hypnotic, evening’s performance.
Review-The Double Bass-Brave Heart Theatre30-10-14
Walking into the Premium Sofa Club where The Double Bass was showing felt like walking into someone’s cozy living room. Sinking into comfortable sofas and armchairs, we were quickly greeted with cold Eastern European beer, while actor Neil Art, already in character, walked around the room talking to early audience members, welcoming them to the Hong Kong Double Bass Appreciation Society.
Review-A Celebration of Dance-The Hong Kong Ballet26-10-14
In celebration of its 35th birthday, Hong Kong Ballet has put together a repertoire of three dance numbers in A Celebration of Dance. The programme includes Serenade by the legendary contemporary ballet choreographer George Balanchine, Castrati by renowned Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato and the classic Swan Lake Act III by Natalia Conus after Marius Petipa’s 1895 original: three pieces of very different tones, each showing off different strengths of the Hong Kong Ballet’s male and female dancers.
Review-Augmented Reality-HKPFF19-10-14
Augmented Reality by DanceOutHK is perhaps a misleading name for this five act performance, of which only two could arguably be truly about “a live direct or indirect view of a physical environment whose elements are altered (or supplemented) by technology”, as given in the official description. But this is a performance which fits right into the spirit of the fringe festival. Far from the predictable techno-rave hip hop robot dancing; it embraces noise music and industrial sounds, mixing together the sounds of nature like birdsong and in-use heavy machinery grinding away at your ears. It’s an experience and a good one.
Review-Superheroes Don't Give a Shit!-Wedraman17-10-14
Theatre, and especially comedy, can be used to escape the harshness of reality. When you’ve been eating, sleeping, breathing Occupy for the past few weeks it can feel a bit strange to be attending a show about a superhero school in San Po Kong but Wedraman and their team didn’t shy away from any of the current events in Hong Kong. Superheroes Don’t Give a Shit! was a site-specific piece about what it takes to become a hero and what choices that requires.
Review-Salome-Opera Hong Kong10-10-14
I’ve never had a chance to see Salome in person before last night. Yes, I know the story from Sunday School as a kid and I had heard of it. After all, it’s one of the most infamous operas in modern history. Did you know it was once banned in England? Richard Strauss’ work was based on the work of the same name written by the infamous Oscar Wilde. Wilde took one of the most salacious stories in the Bible and put it on stage in France where it was called “shocking” and “obscene”. Sounds like perfect material for an opera, if you ask me. Even in the director’s notes in the program, they describe The Dance of the Seven Veils as “horridly fascinating.”
Review-One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest-Naiad Productions10-10-14
Imagine a world filled by two castes of people: those who have power and others who are voiceless. Those who have power govern under the mantra that “We are here to help you. We know what is best.” The voiceless receive the right to cast votes in order to direct their own destiny. When the population chooses a destiny that meets with disapproval, they discover that this ability to choose was but a fleeting vanity. The power has never been transferred. It will take extreme action to make any changes to their world. Do the people have the courage to stand up against their wards? What consequences await those who take action against the powerful?
Review-13, the musical-Theatre Noir28-9-14
A heartwarming night spent with a roomful of attentive audience, and a group of young, talented actors.
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