Due to the epidemic, some commissioned works of the 49th Hong Kong Arts Festival cannot be performed, and will instead be broadcast online in May, including the indoor opera “Two Women” from the Jockey Club Local Creative Talent Series, and a video version of the musical theater “Post-Western Journey,” which will be available for free online starting on May 14 for everyone to enjoy from the comfort of their homes.
“Two Women”
“The Two Women” is adapted from two short stories by Hong Kong writer Xi Xi, “A Woman Like Me” and “Cold.” The story revolves around two women who are connected by a man. One is an embalmer who both desires and fears love, while the other grew up in a greenhouse but hopes to control her own marriage and destiny.
This indoor opera is created by composer Lu Dingzhang, in collaboration with Hong Kong Arts Development Council’s Literary Arts New Talent Award winner Huang Yi, while director Zhen Yongbei presents the struggles of women in love and societal expectations in opera form. With the captivating voices of soprano and mezzo-soprano, it brings out the courage of women to face loneliness or step into the unknown.
“The Sequel to Journey to the West”
As for another work, “The Sequel to Journey to the West,” reimagines the story of Tang Sanzang and his five disciples traveling to the West to obtain scriptures in the form of Cantonese opera. Directed by Wong Chun-tat and created by a group of talented young actors and musicians in the opera industry, it combines opera singing, music, drama, and other elements to present a “A Chinese Odyssey.”
In the drama, the master and disciples encountered numerous hardships on their journey to the West, but in the end, they only obtained the Book of Fate. Some accepted this fate obediently, while others could not forget their original intentions. When the goal pursued so arduously turns out to be an illusion, how should one bear the emptiness in their heart? Let’s savor this in the online screening of “The Sequel to Journey to the West” this time.
“Two Women”, “The Monkey King: A Sequel”
Register for free viewing: https://go.hkaf.org/y7XH1k
Screening dates: May 14 to 31
Photo: HK Art Festival 2021
