Summer Stages: HONG KONG and MACAO

Summer Stages - Hong Kong and Macao

Following sold out performances of The Sound of Music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), more shows have been lined up this summer to provide unique theatrical experiences to audiences in China's two Special Administrative Regions (SAR).

Macao SAR

From June 13 to July 26, Disney's Beauty and the Beast will play at the Venetian Theatre (formerly a purpose-built venue for Cirque du Soleil's prematurely terminated resident show, Zaia). Based on the 1991 Academy-Award winning animated feature film, this international tour celebrates the Broadway musical's 20th anniversary by reuniting the original creative team (director Rob Roth, choreographer Matt West and Tony Award winning costume designer Ann Hould-Ward) to revitalize this Broadway classic:

http://www.venetianmacao.com/entertainment/shows-and-events/beauty-and-the-beast.html

The stage adaptation of another Oscar-winning film will visit Macao in August. Based on the 1990 Academy Award-winning movie, the Asian tour of Ghost The Musical will play at the Macao Cultural Center August 4 - 9. The show displays a technologically advanced set complemented by a music score that brings back the iconic power of Unchained Melody. Nominated for five Olivier and three Tony Awards, Ghost continues to take the world by storm, selling over a million tickets in Europe, USA and Asia. Having stopped in Shenzhen in May, this tour does not include Hong Kong (which is only an hour's ferry ride away from Macao):

http://www.ccm.gov.mo/Event.aspx/Detail/6593

Hong Kong SAR

A youth production of Legally Blonde The Musical will be mounted at Shouson Theatre, Hong Kong Arts Centre, June 4 - 7. Based on the eponymous movie starring Reese Witherspoon, the hilarious and fun-filled Broadway musical centers around bombshell Elle Woods in the hallowed halls of Harvard, where she proves that hard work, self-belief, and the power of friendship can help you reach heights you never believed possible. The show features catchy songs and sharp dialogue: http://faceproductions.com.hk/legallyblonde/

This will be followed by a Cantonese production of Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell's [title of show] at the Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, from June 18 to 21: http://artpeak.org/ [title of show] is a musical about two nobodies who decide to write a completely original musical starring themselves and their attractive and talented lady friends. The show ran off-Broadway in 2006, and played on Broadway in 2008 for 13 previews and 102 regular performances.

In September (which is late summer here in southern China), HKAPA will host three very exciting shows.

The Naked Magicians (September 15 - 20)

Following sold out shows and rave reviews in Australia and New Zealand, the boisterous R-rated magic show comes to Hong Kong for a limited season. The show features magic, mirth and more than a touch of mayhem as two hot and hilarious magicians strip away their top hats, capes and pants, promising full frontal illusions: http://www.lunchbox-productions.com/portfolio/the-naked-magicians/

La Soiree (September 16 - 20)

LA SOIRÉE showcases the crème de la crème of twisted cabaret entertainers from around the world in a show that celebrates difference and revels in the extraordinary. The show has won a host of awards, including the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Best Unique Theatrical Experience at New York's Off Broadway Alliance Awards 2014: http://www.lunchbox-productions.com/portfolio/la-soiree/

Singin' in the Rain (Sept 25 - Oct 11)

Based on one of the world's best loved movie musicals, Singin' in the Rain tells the story of the first Hollywood musical, when the silver screen found its voice and left silent movies - and some of its stars - behind. This spectacularly soggy show features all the songs from the MGM score including Good Morning, Make 'em Laugh, Moses Supposes and the title number, as well as 12,000 litres of water on stage: http://www.lunchbox-productions.com/portfolio/singin-in-the-rain/

Photo credits: Lunch Box Productions

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