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ARTS evelyn.lok@hkmagmedia.com
Stage
Arts Festivals
New Vision Arts Festival
This is the seventh year of the biennial New
Vision Arts Festival, which brings a slew of
overseas and local talents together for an
action-packed four weeks. Opening the festival
is the highly anticipated dance performance
“Political Mother.” Choreographed by
Israeli-born, London-based Hofesh Shechter,
the performance blends modern styles with
traditional Middle Eastern folk dance. On the
theater side, don’t miss “Ravens, We Shall Load
Bullets” where a group of Japanese senior
citizens portray a group of armed rebels; and
Can & Abel Theaters’ “The Kitchen,” in which
a couple cooks on stage in real time to the
sound of drumbeats, reflecting on how cooking
is the essence of life. Eminent British director
Adrian Nobel also makes an appearance in
a new production of Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda
Gabler”: a story of a general’s daughter trapped
in a dull marriage and troubled by jealousy.
Visit the website for the full lineup. Through
Nov 16. $120-480 from www.urbtix.hk. www.
newvisionfestival.gov.hk.
Comedy
TakeOut Comedy Presents: Dennis Regan
From his debut in the late 80s to headlining at all
the top US comedy clubs and appearances on
late shows with David Letterman and Jay Leno,
Dennis Regan will be making the rounds at his
Hong Kong debut this October. He prides himself
on “clean, corporate comedy”—but it ain’t
as dry as it suggests; Regan is brimming with
cheeky insights and observations. See him at
Champs bar (209-219 Wan Chai Rd.) on opening
night, and TakeOut Comedy Club thereafter.
Oct 24-25, 9pm. TakeOut Comedy, B/F, 34 Elgin
St., Central, 6220-4436. $250-300 from www.
takeoutcomedy.com.
Edited by Evelyn Lok
People’s Fringe Festival
The city’s fall festival season has kicked off. Catch the People’s Fringe Festival, billed as an “alternative
arts experience” that will feature music, dance, theater, stand-up comedy, exhibitions and tons more.
From now until November, the events will be all over town, from parks and churches to the village of
Ping Che in the New Territories. This year’s theme is “space-revolution-freedom-senses”—which could
mean anything, really. Visit website for lineup. Through Nov 15. pplsfringe.com.
Dance
A Celebration of Dance:
The Hong Kong Ballet at 35
The Hong Kong Ballet celebrates its 35th
anniversary with a mixed bill of three
groundbreaking performances that reflect
the unique repertoire of the Ballet, the sheer
talent of its dancers, and a commitment to
tradition and innovation alike. “Serenade,”
is an insight into the immense training and
learning processes required in ballet. Legendary
choreographer George Balanchine incorporated
human error into the final choreography, to
stress the humanity of the dance. “Castrati”
brings the men of the ballet into the limelight
in a piece created for nine men, set to a mix
of Vivaldi and Karl Jenkins. Finally, they’re
performing the third act from “Swan Lake,”
because everybody loves “Swan Lake.” Oct
24-25, 7:30pm; Oct 25-26, 2:30pm. Grand
Theatre, Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd.,
Tsim Sha Tsui. $140-1,000 from www.urbtix.hk.
Classical
Majestic Drums XIX
Under the baton of resident conductor Chew
Hee-chiat, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
teams up with the percussionists of the
Contemporary Gugak (traditional Korean
performing arts) Orchestra to perform three
thunderous percussion pieces, from Korean
folk tunes using traditional Korean drums and
gongs, to traditional Chinese numbers such as
“Guanshan Capriccio”—featuring the young
soloist Yu Jo-yu, flown in straight from Taiwan.
Don’t miss your chance to bang on a couple
pots and pans too: in the grand finale, “Let the
Thunder of Drums Roll,” the audience will be
invited to join in. Oct 24, 8pm. Concert Hall,
Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui.
$100-380 from www.urbtix.hk.
Steven Osborne
Piano Recital
Steven Osborne—
not a son of Ozzy
Osbourne, but
instead the highly
accoladed Scottish
pianist—will be
playing a solo
recital at HKU’s
new Grand Hall at
the Lee Shau Kee
lecture theater,
with a program including Schubert’s “Four
Impromptus,” “Hüttenbrenner Variations,” and
Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier.” The Guardian
lauded Osborne’s performance of the epicsounding
“Hammerklavier” as “edge-of-the-seat
excitement”—lofty praise indeed for anything
that’s not a Black Sabbath song. Oct 26, 3pm.
HKU Grand Hall, LG/F, Lee Shau Kee Lecture
Centre, Centennial Campus, The University of
Hong Kong, Bonham Road, Pok Fu Lam.
$80-480 from pphk.org.hk.
Canadian Brass
Nice men with big instruments coming through!
The Canadian Brass quintet is bringing their
skillz, humor and eclectic brass repertoire (just
look up their cover of “Bad Romance”) to the
Hong Kong stage. They’ll be performing a mixed
program of tunes: from Mozart to Brahms to
American folk to a selection of classic Chinese
songs. Oct 31, 8pm. Tsuen Wan Town Hall
Auditorium, 72 Tai Ho Rd., Tsuen Wan.
$150-300 from www.urbtix.hk.
Need to Know
Theater & Arts
Urbtix (credit cards) 2111-5999
Urbtix (enquiries) 2734-9009
HK Ticketing 3128-8288
HK Arts Centre 2582-0200
Fringe Club 2521-7251
HK Cultural Centre 2734-2009
Stomp Your Foot:
Welsh Male Voice Choir
The Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir is
here to prove that a cappella isn’t all tweeting
falsetto. The 35-year-old choir, now not only
Welsh but very much multicultural, continues
their “Stomp Your Foot!” series in collaboration
with the HKAPA’s School of Dance students, to
perform songs both old and new. Foot-stomping
mandatory. Nov 1, 8, 7:30pm. Concert Hall,
Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Rd.,
Wan Chai. $100-250 from www.hkticketing.com.
Marriner at 90
The City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
opens its 15th season with none other than the
revered British conductor and violinist Sir Neville
Marriner. The nonagenarian raises the baton to
conduct his son Andrew, the principal clarinettist
of the London Symphony Orchestra, and the
CCOHK in “Two Pieces for Small Orchestra” by
Delius and a serenade by Elgar, before ending
on “The London,” or Haydn’s Symphony No. 104.
Budding clarinettists can join in on a masterclass
held by Andrew Marriner on November 9; see
website. Nov 7, 8pm. Auditorium, Sha Tin Town
Hall, 1 Yuen Wo Rd., Sha Tin. $280-680 from
www.urbtix.hk. www.ccohk.com.
Eddie Gomez Quartet
The great Puerto Rican jazz bassist Eddie Gomez
graces the Hong Kong stage this month. His
CV is nothing short of impressive: he’s played
with legends including Benny Goodman, Herbie
Hancock and Miles Davis, plus many more. He’s
backed in Hong Kong by a local talent—rising star
guitarist Teriver Cheung. Oct 24, 8:15pm. Youth
Square Y-Studio, 2/F, 238 Chai Wan Rd., Chai Wan,
37218888. $380-580 from www.urbtix.hk.
Theater
HK City Hall 2921-2840
HK Academy for Performing Arts 2584-8500
Kwai Tsing Theatre 2408-0128
LCSD Music Programme Office 2268-7321
LCSD Dance/Multi-Arts Office 2268-7323
LCSD Theatre Office 2268-7323
Liars’ League HK
Get your monthly literary fix at the Liars’
League. Actors perform original pieces of short
fiction—written specifically for the event by
local and international authors—in front of you,
the audience. Each of their events carries a
theme, and this time in collaboration with Pink
Season, the theme is “Here and Queer.” This’ll
be a fun one: expect stories about the joys of
drag, close encounters between roommates
and a transgender protagonist’s birthday. As
always, it’s totally free. To submit your own
stories for consideration or to find out more, visit
liarsleague.blogspot.hk. The submission deadline
for December’s event, themed “Chance and
Fate,” is October 26. Oct 27, 8pm. Fringe Club,
2 Lower Albert Rd., Central, 2525-1032. Free.
Venice and the Commedia dell’Arte
Commedia dell’arte gave the world its first
improv theater in the 16th century, spreading
across Italy and developing the idea of acting
as a profession. This performance follows a
presentation from CityU’s Dr. Peter Jordan,
who has just published a book about the
theater form. In Commedia dell’arte actors
donned creepy-looking masks depicting
different character types: a principal character
is “Pantalone de’ Bisognosi,” an unpleasant
man motivated entirely by money. Pantalone
de’ Tycoon: now that would be an excellent
Halloween costume. Oct 28, 8pm. Youth Square
Y-Studio, 2/F, 238 Chai Wan Rd., Chai Wan,
37218888. Free; register from eventbrite.hk.
Brave Heart Theatre: The Double Bass
by Patrick Süskind
No blue-faced Mel Gibson charging across a
warfield here; Brave Heart Theatre is the city’s
newest small-venue theater series, held at
Premium Sofa Club. The official opener of the
series will be the Hong Kong English-language
debut of “The Double Bass” by Patrick Süskind,
the writer best known for “Perfume: The Story of
a Murderer.” The one-act monologue is all about
an alcoholic musician and his obsession with his
instrument. Hipsters will be happy to learn that
this is the work that made Süskind famous, long
before “Perfume” made him cool. Through Oct 7,
7pm, 9pm. Premium, B/F, 212-216 Wing Lok St.,
Sheung Wan, 9175-1402. $100-200 from www.
ticketingover.com; $150-250 at the door.
The Box Side 15: The World Was Made
on a Sunday
The Boundless Multimedia series goes full
force with the last show of the series, which is
the 15th production by Hong Kong writers Peter
Suart and Kung Chi-sing’s “The Box” theater,
which folds in live music, projected images
and acting. This time, “The World was Made on
a Sunday” looks at Vladimir Nabokov, Dmitri
Shostakovich and Joseph Stalin around the time
of the Bolshevik Bolshevik Revolution. Based
partly on Nabokov’s autobiography “Speak,
Memory,” it’s a powerful amalgamation of power,
art, music and apparently, butterflies and chess.
Oct 31-Nov 1, 8pm; Nov 2, 3pm. Shouson Theatre,
Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Rd., Wan Chai. $180-230
from www.urbtix.hk.
HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, October 24, 2014 29