Preview-BitterGirl-Aurora Theatre
17-10-13
Over the weekend HKELD was invited for a sneak peak of Aurora Theatre's latest production, BitterGirl.
By: Meaghan McGurgan
“I think people will like BitterGirl because this play tells a story about human beings who believe, suffer, heal and finally are strong enough to turn the page, realizing that this experience has made them stronger. I believe a lot of people will relate to it as our show presents an experience that everybody has experienced at least once in their life.”- Nicole Garbellini, Actress and Producer
The New York Times compared it to Sex and the City. It’s a cult hit in Toronto. And at the end of this month BitterGirl is getting it’s Hong Kong debut. Written by three female playwrights, A. Fitzsimmons, A. Lawrence and M.F. Moore, the play strikes out to handle breakups in a funny way. This play was a huge success in Canada and was even turned into a self help book by the same name. Produced by Aurora Theatre and directed by Brad Powers it’s sure to be a great show to go with your girlfriends! Mr. Powers was the winner of Best Director at the Hecklers this past year and he’s braving a play that’s all about the female perspective.
The summary of play is this: “Bittergirl charts the break-ups of three women-one single and dating, one co-habiting, one married with a child. This trio of Women Scorned experience heartbreak, hilarity, fairy-tales gone wrong, wine, cops, love, honour, car-keying, repeated viewings of An Affair To Remember, fake spleenectomies, and meetings of Breakups Anonymous.”
Starring Nicole Garbellini, Annabel Lam and Natalie Lund as the three women, the play explores the women’s journeys in non-linear storytelling through a series of vignettes. Alex Wilkins is the brave man who has taken on all the roles of the boyfriend(s) in this production. We asked him about how difficult it was to be bad guy in all the situations... “It was an interesting experience...”
All four actors have become serious players in the Hong Kong art scene recently. You may have seen them in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Hairspray and Duetto.
“It’s been a really fun show to work on...,” says Annabel Lam. “I cried in a lot of rehearsals but I think the show will be very fun for the audience and meaningful at the same time.”
The cast was very excited to share this play with me. We talked about how relevant it is for the Hong Kong audience. We spoke about drawing from their own life experiences for the characters. “We used part of our own experience to give life to these characters and make them strong but vulnerable at the same time.” Adds Ms. Garbellini. Actress Annabel Lam described the rehearsal process as “group therapy”.
This play may be the perfect for a ladies night out but the cast wants you to know that men might also enjoy BitterGirl. “It’ll give men a look inside to the female perspective on a breakup,” says Natalie. “I’m making my exes come!”
Maybe attending BitterGirl should be reviewing viewing for all former lovers? Nicole Garbellini continues, “When I first read this play, I thought about the movie 500 Days Of Summer... I loved that movie because it was heartfelt and human, and I truly and utterly felt for the protagonist who went through pain first and healing after...”
As fun as the show may be it’s maybe not right for young audience members. Due to adult content, language and some sexy moments on stage the production company is recommending this show for persons aged 14 and above. The show has a powerful message about being a strong, independent lady in modern society. “As the three female characters learn to survive the break-ups and...create new identities as strong, independent, single women, we can't help but see our own stories, so when we laugh, we laugh at ourselves, and when we cry, we cry for ourselves.”
We hope there’ll be lots of Beyonce songs in the soundtrack to dance to during the intermission!
BitterGirl is also the current giveaway on HKELD. You enter the contest for tickets by clicking here.
BitterGirl will be playing in Sheung Wan at the HK Rep Blackbox from October 31st- November 3rd. Showtimes start at 8pm and there’s a Saturday matinee at 2pm. Ticket prices are 230hkd and include a glass of wine (and maybe a sweet treat) from the cast. There are also additional discounts for students, seniors and people with disabilities. On October 31 they’ll be having a costume contest for those that want to celebrate Halloween but avoid the chaos of Lan Kwai Fong. The prize is a bottle of wine and 2 tickets to a future Aurora Theatre production.
You can find out more about this production by clicking this link.
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