Review-Good Morning Hong Kong-APA Lyric Theatre
23-5-13
I’m proposing a new rule for Hong Kong productions. Sourcing the set from IKEA should be banned. Maybe I’m hyper-sensitive to the issue, maybe this has something to do with the fact that my apartment is largely decked out with it too. But to me, an IKEA set tells the audience immediately that the designer prioritised cheap, quick and convenient over creating a rich and evocative set. Even on a budget (a limitation which Good Morning Hong Kong seemingly did not have to manage), with time, effort and a bit of vision you can create something great. For GMHK it was even more of a pity because the dull IKEA trimmings detracted from what was an excellent backdrop of Hong Kong’s domino-like apartment blocks and spectacular skyline.
The superb band also brightened the set, looking very rock-star on a tiered stand at the centre of the stage. Their rollicking beats were the highlight of the show. And thankfully we got to see a lot of them – as well as providing the music, they played a role as the resident live band in the Waterfront Bar, in and around which much of the story is set. Rick Moon is the hopeless and hapless lead singer of the band who loses his wife and a lot of money trusting a dodgy manager who is up to no good. As described on the show’s website, the plot follows the couple as they “unravel the spicy tangled noodles of deceit and confusion that have caused their marriage to fall apart”.
A couple of standout voices carried several weak performers. This being the case, the best scenes involved the whole cast in chorus, especially when they were at the Waterfront Bar engaged in vigorous, almost aerobic-like rock’n’roll dance. A special mention must go to 12 year-old Misha Mah, who played Rick’s step-daughter. For such a young performer, she brought real emotion and an excellent voice to the stage. Margaret Cheung’s Marigold was consistently amusing, but some of the laughs were cheap as her role was written as the stereotype of the silly Cantonese cleaner. With little depth given to her character, we were laughing at her, which verged on uncomfortable.
There were other problems with the way the musical is written, some of which could have been addressed by the director, others which could not. At least three superfluous and unexciting scenes could have easily been cut. This would have avoided the feeling of dragging towards the end of the first act. But there was little to be done about several cringe-worthy lyrics and really bad rhymes.
Finally, GMHK really missed an opportunity to explore the issues surrounding the 1997 handover, leaving me wondering why they bothered keeping this feature in the production at all. It was largely ignored. True, there was little of it written in to the script, but much more could have been made of the scene on handover night. There was none of the grandeur and spectacle of that evening of June 30, 1997. And my excited anticipation of bad nineties fashion and hairstyles was also disappointed. The musical could have been set any time, any place, which reduced it to a predictable love story with a saccharine ending.
The cast was well-rehearsed and enthusiastic and so I would still recommend it to musical lovers. Great dancing, some sparkly costumes and good energy made this a fun night out. For Hong Kongers, it’s always nice to see a (semi)local production set in your home town.
GMHK is playing at the APA Lyric Theatre through May 26th. For more information, click here.
Comments
laura
haters gunna hate
24 May 2013Paying Punter
I think this review was fair. I'd even say it was generous.
24 May 2013High School Musical Reject
Spicy tangled noodles of deceit and confusion sound excellent, but I'm disappointed and the predictable and saccharine plot. Thanks for noticing the discomfort around the cleaner's character.
25 May 2013Matthew
I saw it last night and was a little disappointed in it. It was a rom/com and had very little to do with the handover.
26 May 2013
But I have no give the production team credit for putting together a world premiere piece. This is no easy task and although I personally did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I could see the very hard work put into the show.
If they're wanting to go forward with it I suggest they take a look at the book/lyrics. The rhymes are gag worthy at times and they should look at how to rewrite the cleaner character in a more fair way.Good Night Hong Kong
I thought the play was very disappointing, almost to the point of being insipidly offensive, relying on a very good band to hide the core of shakily drawn out stereotypes and awful rhymes that were the problem from the beginning.
27 May 2013
So much good work is done by amateur companies here in Hong Kong, and this proved that money does not make an excellent show.
I'm concerned that to see the half empty audience (as on the night i went) will stop others wanting to produce more risky work with high production values.blarg
This proves a big budget and international stars does not make a good show. Adam West, Meaghan McGurgan and Nicole Garbellini do much better work for free.
27 May 2013Wolfy
As do many other companies and independants in Hong Kong......
27 May 2013Hater
Such a piece of shit. Waste of time and oxygen
13 June 2013