HK’s performance art venues are up and running again after a near nine-month hiatus. Li Meng reviews two recently-staged productions by the city’s leading theater companies.
Both the Chung Ying Theatre Company-produced Frankestein: Relive and Hong Kong Repertory Theatre’s Principle are centered on the idea of making a choice. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
With the easing of social distancing restrictions in Hong Kong, plays are back on stage again. Two of the city’s most-watched theater companies — Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and Chung Ying Theatre Company — put on plays in October. Earlier in the month, Hong Kong Repertory Theatre revived their award-winning play Principle, followed by the opening of Chung Ying’s new production, Frankenstein: Relive.
Although set in vastly-different cultures and time frames, both plays are centered on the idea of making choices. Based on Mary Shelley’s 1823 science fiction classic, Frankenstein: Relive tells the story of a young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a sapient creature after a multitude of unorthodox experiments. Set in early 18th-century Europe, the dilemma at the center of the play is between respecting life, following ethical practices and pursuing scientific achievements at any cost.
Both the Chung Ying Theatre Company-produced Frankestein: Relive and Hong Kong Repertory Theatre’s Principle are centered on the idea of making a choice. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
In Principle, on the other hand, soon after taking up her position, school principal Ling Chi imposes a bunch of new rules with a view to raising the school’s ranking. Vice principal Chan Yin, who has been with the school for three decades, is thus faced with the choice of either embracing the imposition of strict discipline or continuing to be the friendly, approachable guy whom students can come to in their hour of need.
The dilemma faced by the two protagonists resonates with the central conflict in the Shakespearean classic Hamlet. And the choices they finally make are totally relatable.
Both productions have highly-qualified actors on the cast. In Principle, the highly-experienced actor Ko Hon-man plays vice principal Chan Yin — a role that won him the best actor prize at 2019 Shanghai One Drama Awards. The thought-provoking dialogue between Chan Yin and his long-time colleague Choi Lam (played by the equally-competent Chris Sun) is one of the highlights of the production, replete with humor. Lui Si-lan as the principal complements Ko’s acting with great panache.
Both the Chung Ying Theatre Company-produced Frankestein: Relive and Hong Kong Repertory Theatre’s Principle are centered on the idea of making a choice. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The multi-award-winning actor Wang Wei gets to play the hugely-challenging role of the creature in Frankenstein: Relive. After being a part of Hong Kong Repertory Theatre for more than 20 years, Wang Wei started a new career path as a freelance artist in 2020, and the start looks promising. It was his first time being cast as a cyborg — the way the creature has been reimagined by Chung Ying’s assistant artistic director, Edmond Lo. Coming up with a credible body language was a challenge Wang has met with aplomb. He also managed to express the complexity of the role — a vicious creature longing to be understood and loved — rather well.
Both productions used minimal but evocative sets. Chairs were extensively used as stage props in Principle, to indicate the dynamic nature of power relations between the two main characters. Frankenstein: Relive conjured up the feel of a cave. The mysterious and asphyxiatingly-closed space resonated with the idea of the interiors of a human brain which dictates the choices people make.
