公 司 Hong Kong Arts Festival Society Ltd
Hong Kong Arts Festival presents in October Award-winning local playwright Raymond To Kwok-wai’s masterpiece Cantonese opera Love in the Bamboo Grove (Re-run)
With three performances in Hong Kong to kick off the Greater Bay Area tour
For immediate release
(Hong Kong, 14 August 2024) Following its critically acclaimed premiere last year, the Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) is pleased to present the highly anticipated return of Love in the Bamboo Grove It is the latest Cantonese opera masterpiece by Raymond To Kwok-wai, the esteemed local playwright and screenwriter who has previously received a string of awards and nominations from the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards, and most recently the Hong Kong Screenwriters’ Guild. The performances will first be staged at the Auditorium of Sha Tin Town Hall in Hong Kong from 12-14 October, followed by a tour of the Greater Bay Area with a total of four performances in Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhuhai from 17-22 October.
Commissioned by the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society, Love in the Bamboo Grove was included among the programmes at the 2023 HKAF, where it received unanimous acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Due to popular demand, Raymond To will reunite with the original cast to bring this exquisite masterpiece about lofty ideals and abiding love back to the stage. Slight adjustments to the script will be made for the re-run performances in October
Raymond To has written more than 100 works, with classic stage plays such as I Have a Date with Spring and The Mad Phoenix becoming household names. Known for his unique style that captures the warmth of human emotions and the intricacies of relationships, To’s works deeply resonate with audiences. This is the first Cantonese opera he has written for the HKAF, with the production directed and performed by renowned virtuoso Sun Kim-long. The emotionally charged and action-packed production adheres to traditional Cantonese opera conventions, featuring the popular and well-matched duo of Lam Tin-yau and Cheng Nga-ki. The two premiere performances at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 2023 were met with an enthusiastic response, with critics hailing it as a “rare masterpiece in recent years.”
Set in the late Wei and early Jin dynasties (circa 3rd century CE), this full-length, two-act work is centred around the descendants of the Seven Sages, a group of literati disenchanted with palace intrigue who retreat from society in pursuit of a hedonistic life. Their stories have been passed down through the generations and they remain culturally significant figures to this day.
One of the lead actors, Lam Tin-yau, is a disciple of the legendary Cantonese opera master Lam Kar-sing, excelling in both civil and martial roles, while Cheng Nga-ki has performed alongside renowned artist Lung Kim-sung in acclaimed productions such as The Flower Princess and The Purple Hairpin, earning widespread acclaim. The duo’s versatility and chemistry have made them audience favourites.
A project aimed at promoting Hong Kong’s Cantonese opera culture to people of all ages and backgrounds, Love in the Bamboo Grove’s tour of the GBA cities of Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhuhai will receive funding
新聞稿 MEDIA RELEASE 1 香港灣仔港灣道 2 號 12 樓 / 香港郵政總局信箱 2547 號 12/F, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong / GPO Box 2547, Hong Kong 電話 Telephone : (852) 2824 3555 圖文傳真 Facsimile : (852) 2824 3798, 2824 3722 電子郵箱 E-mail: afgen@hkaf.org 網頁地址 Website : http://www.hk.artsfestival.org
公
Hong Kong Arts Festival Society Ltd
support from the China National Arts Fund 2024 (Cultural Exchange). The Foshan and Zhuhai performances are also sponsored by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR Government as part of the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. The Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhuhai performances are also supported by the Hong Kong Arts Festival Foundation. The 14 October performance in Hong Kong is one of the “EXPO Programmes” of the Hong Kong Performing Arts EXPO.
Cantonese Opera Love in the Bamboo Grove (Re-run)
Playwright Raymond To
Director Sun Kim-long
Coordinator Lam Tin-yau
Music Arrangements Jason Kong
Lighting Designer Wyborn Leung Wai-hong
Set Designer Cheung Ching-wo
Costume Designer Leung Yuet-wai
Martial Arts Instructor Han Yanming
Choreographer Vanessa Tsang
Percussion Leader Ko Wing-hei
Music Leader Share Ka-lok
Lam Tin-yau as Xiang Chong
Cheng Nga-ki as Ji Dan
Sun Kim-long as Sima Yan (Emperor of Jin)
Wyborn Leung Wai-hong as Shan Tao
Johnson Yuen as Zhong Hui
Wang Kit-ching as Ruan Yueqing
Jim Ho-fung as Ruan Fu
Lo Lai-see as Empress Dowager
12 October (Sat) 19:30
13 October (Sun) 14:30
14 October (Mon) 20:00 [HKPAX programme]
Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall
$450, $350, $250, $150
新聞稿 MEDIA RELEASE 2 香港灣仔港灣道 2 號 12 樓 / 香港郵政總局信箱 2547 號 12/F, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong / GPO Box 2547, Hong Kong 電話 Telephone : (852) 2824 3555 圖文傳真 Facsimile : (852) 2824 3798, 2824 3722 電子郵箱 E-mail: afgen@hkaf.org 網頁地址 Website : http://www.hk.artsfestival.org
限 公 司 Hong Kong Arts Festival Society Ltd
Performed in Cantonese with Chinese and English surtitles
This programme is only available for Counter Bookings at URBTIX from 13 August 2024 and is not applicable for Advance Bookings of the 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival.
Tickets are now available for purchase at URBTIX: online at www.urbtix.hk, by phone at (852) 3166 1288, or at URBTIX outlets
Programme details: https://visit.hkaf.org/lai2p6
Sponsored by: Hong Kong Arts Festival Foundation
ABOUT THE HONG KONG ARTS FESTIVAL
Launched in 1973, the Hong Kong Arts Festival is a major international arts festival committed to enriching the cultural life of the city. In February and March every year, the Festival presents leading local and international artists from all genres of the performing arts, giving equal importance to great traditions and contemporary creations. The Festival also commissions and produces work in theatre, music, chamber opera and contemporary dance by Hong Kong’s own creative talents and emerging artists, many of which have subsequently had successful runs in Hong Kong and overseas. Every year, the Festival also presents more than 250 “PLUS” and educational activities that offer diverse arts experiences to the community as well as tertiary, secondary and primary school students. In addition, through the “No Limits” project co -presented with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Festival strives to create an inclusive space for people of different abilities to share the joy of the arts together.
For more information about the Hong Kong Arts Festival, please visit www.hk.artsfestival.org
MEDIA INQUIRIES
For further inquiries, please contact Ms Tobie Chan at (852) 9519 0973 / tobie.chan@associate.hkaf.org
新聞稿 MEDIA RELEASE 3
香港灣仔港灣道 2 號 12 樓 / 香港郵政總局信箱 2547 號 12/F, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong / GPO Box 2547, Hong Kong 電話 Telephone : (852) 2824 3555 圖文傳真 Facsimile : (852) 2824 3798, 2824 3722 電子郵箱 E-mail: afgen@hkaf.org 網頁地址 Website : http://www.hk.artsfestival.org