The upcoming theatre productions and stage performances in Hong Kong and Macau

The Hong Kong Ballet will present the Asian premiere of Frida, a performance centred on Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, one of the most important surrealist painters of the 20th century. This special ballet show will only be in town for a very limited run of just five performances, so don’t miss out!

Colombian-Belgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa has created this beautiful production that tells the story of Kahlo’s professional triumphs and personal tragedies, made even more visually stunning by her bold paintings and striking self-portraits being incorporated into the ballet. Much thought has also been put into the costumes and set designs, the work of Dieuweke Van Reij – look out for skeletons, Mexican skirts, florals, and animal motifs that are often found in Kahlo’s paintings. In a brilliant touch, the ballet starts off in black and white, before exploding into colours when Kahlo discovers the world of artistic pursuits.

Frida will only be on show from April 4 to 6. Tickets range from $250 to $1,200, with concessions available for students and senior citizens.

The WestK FunFest is back for its second edition from March 26 to April 27, and one of the events in the multimedia art programmes is La bulle. Literally translated as ‘the bubble’, this is a mime performance by internationally acclaimed Canadian dance theatre company Corpus. Featuring the character Pierrot dressed in monochrome costume and makeup, the performance takes place inside a giant transparent bubble, in which the character connects with his audience through mime, dance, text, and drawing. Though innocuous and humorous at times, La bulle also shows the sorrow and absurd sides of existence. 

Tickets to see La bulle are available for $200, and audiences are free to sit or move around the bubble tent as they please.

Billed as a ‘circus sound theatre for all the senses’, Murmur is a performance by the acclaimed Belgian circus company Grensgeval combining dance, movements, and the sensory experience of noises. Performer Camiel Corneille pulls tiny speakers from his suit through the performance, conjuring situations and worlds with ease. As he goes through the sound of bees buzzing, cats purring, cars running, waves crashing, and more, the choreography also becomes increasingly bold. As Corneille jumps, swings, and flies around the performance space, audiences are absorbed into being a part of his swirling landscape.

Tickets for Murmur are available for $220.

The Sunbeam Theatre, one of Hong Kong’s last bastions of Cantonese opera, has recently closed down, but at least there’s still the Xiqu Centre to carry the torch of Chinese operatic shows. Curated and directed by the legendary Cantonese opera artist Law Ka-ying, the Tea House Theatre Experience programme is designed for newcomers to Cantonese opera, featuring show excerpts and songs ranging from romance to martial arts. Highlights of the season include ‘Rain-soaked Clothes’ from A Mirror Seal, ‘Love and Struggle’ from The Warrior’s Marriage, and operatic performances in archaic Mandarin. Audiences will also be served traditional tea and dim sum during the performances, a hark back to Hong Kong’s early 20th-–century tea houses.

Tickets run from $300 to $342, inclusive of food and drink.

Maggie Choo’s cabaret bar is many things – an antique shop front, a speakeasy-style bar, an after-dark venue with live performances – but now it’s finally living up to its name as a cabaret spot. They’re bringing their first-ever cabaret show to Central’s nightlife scene, promising live vocalists, a jazz band, and a troupe of international dancers.

With Maggie Choo’s dark wood interiors, velvet drapings, and dramatic spiral stairs, the bar is a great setting for this kind of sultry performance. Audiences can expect a range of dance styles including jazz, ballet, and of course, classic cabaret, performed in tailor-made costumes and iconic cabaret elements like top hats. Performers weave fluidly through the crowd and guests are encouraged to participate in an interactive blend of elegance, sensuality, and humour that defines the art of cabaret – and, as with most things at Maggie Choo’s, boasting an Asian twist.

This new cabaret show will take place every Thursday from 9pm to 11pm. More show dates in the week will be added from March onwards.