When it comes to musical theater performances, we often think of London’s West End or Broadway in the United States. However, for the small city of Hong Kong, there has always been a lack of representative local musical theater works and dedicated performance spaces. In order to change the landscape of performing arts, young musical theater creator Chen En-shuo single-handedly produced Hong Kong’s first long-running musical “Our Youth Diary“, which will make its grand debut in September!
In Hong Kong’s education system where grades determine everything, how much room is left for young people to pursue their dreams? “Our Youth Diary” tells the story of Principal Yan Li Zhen, who values fame and fortune, hoping to increase the rate of elite students from Form 6 entering university before retirement, in exchange for a glorious retirement, thus subjecting them to rigorous training.
However, the students each have their own ideals, and their pursuit of academic excellence is at odds with Principal Yan’s values. The students begin to fight back… Principal Yan also begins to reflect, after so many years of hard work, has he really been living a good life?
This work covers education, dreams, reality, family, love, and friendship, all handled by the creator Chen En-shuo, who is responsible for scriptwriting, composing, lyrics, directing, and producing. Starting from September 1st, there will be six performances every week at the “Explosive Studio Theater.” With a cast of over 20 actors, some will rotate, creating different combinations for each performance.
This original musical has been performed 57 times from 2018 to 2020, receiving unanimous praise and strong recommendations from star-studded audiences including Vivian Chow, Sally Yeh, and Priscilla Chan, with every show sold out. The director believes that long-running musicals are popular overseas, and Hong Kong audiences are open to the world, with the ability to appreciate and enjoy on par with the rest of the world. Therefore, he hopes to popularize theater and continue to perform a richly entertaining musical in Hong Kong every day, resonating with everyone.
Director Chen En-shuo shared: “The work adopts Western musical theater creative techniques, local story backgrounds, and global themes. Regardless of age, gender, identity, background, and experience, audiences will be able to find resonance in it.” Pioneering original musical theater in Hong Kong was full of challenges, but the director quoted a line from the play, “I have a dream, once wandering in the dreamy sky, youth should be able to let me drop the burden and rush!” The passion and theme of the work resonate with each other.
“Our Youth Diary” preview dates are from August 10 to 31, and the official premiere will be on September 1. Everyone is looking forward to it!
Location: 30-34 Kwai Wing Road, Kwai Hing, New Territories, Hong Kong
Ticket Price: HK$270 or HK$290 on Wednesday to Friday; HK$320 or HK$340 on Saturday to Sunday
Duration: 2 hours 45 minutes (including a 15-minute intermission)
Pre-order tickets: Click here
