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Puppet ballet troupe to perform the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid"
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     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has invited the Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu Puppet Troupe of China to perform the puppet ballet "The Little Mermaid", a puppet show that brings to life the classic mermaid with a bright puppet and beautiful ballet.

     Exquisitely made puppets will be used to perform the well-known fairy tale in the form of puppet ballet, and the use of black-light theatre will make the puppets become more charming and lifelike. The Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu Puppet Troupe has staged more than 500 performances at home and abroad, and has won several awards with high acclaim including the Gold Medal in the Second National Puppet Show Contest of the Golden Lion Award and the First Osmanthus Award of the Sixth Drama Match of Guangxi.

     The story tells of a little mermaid who falls deeply in love with a prince from the mortal world, and chooses to exchange her beautiful voice for a sea witch's magic potion that can turn her fish tail into human legs. The prince fortuitously meets the little mermaid on the golden shore. He is smitten with the lovely mute girl, but when they are about to get married in a wedding ceremony, the evil sea witch changes into the little mermaid and approaches the prince while singing a beautiful tune. The prince falls for the impostor with the golden voice. Having lost the love of the prince, the sweet little mermaid returns, heartbroken, to the sea, and turns herself into a beautiful sea flower that blooms in silence.

     Founded in 1956, the Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu Puppet Troupe of China is a leading professional performing arts troupe staging children's plays. The troupe is best known for its lifelike puppet design, exquisite workmanship, and insightful and vivid performance. It has created the large-scale puppet myth production "Honghai'er" (The Red Boy), the man-puppet fusion dance "New Rhythm of Puppet Art", the puppet ballet "The Little Mermaid", and a series of works that include "The Story of the White Snake", "Sanjie Descends from Heaven", "The Monkey King Wreaks Havoc in Heaven" and more. Its works have won the Distinguished Production Award in the China National Shadow Play and Puppetry Showcase, and the Best Artistic Creation Award and the Most Popular Young Audience Award in the 2002 Sixth World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague. In 2010 the troupe took part in the Second International Marionette Festival in Vietnam and won two Gold Awards and two other prizes. The troupe has toured and found high acclaim in places including Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and India.

     Details of the programmes are as follows:

December 2 (Friday), 8pm
Theatre, Sheung Wan Civic Centre

December 3 (Saturday), 8pm
Auditorium, Tai Po Civic Centre

December 4 (Sunday), 8pm
Theatre, Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre

     The puppet ballet "The Little Mermaid" by Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu Puppet Troupe of China is one of the attractions of the "Cheers!" series. Tickets priced from $120 to $190 are now available at all URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by credit card telephone booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come-first-served basis). A maximum discount of 20 per cent is offered for the "Cheers!" series and group booking. Please refer to the programme leaflet for details.

     For programme enquiries, call 2268 7323; for ticketing enquiries, call 2734 9009. For credit card telephone bookings, call 2111 5999; for Internet bookings, visit www.urbtix.hk. For more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/multi_arts/00000307.html.

     Other programmes in the "Cheers!" series include "Fruit Story" by Fantasy Puppet Theatre; "An Evening of Ballet Music" by the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra; "A Concert of Popular Chinese Music" by the Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra; "The Snowman & The Bear" by the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong; "A Fantastic Journey @ X'mas" by Jumbo Kids Theatre; "The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer" by Weeping Spoon Productions (Australia); HKOS 2011 X'mas Concert: "A Thankful Christmas"; "Heroic Boys" by the Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe of China; Red Star Red Army Chorus (Russia); "ONIONOISE" by the Vegetable Orchestra (Austria); and "The Little Snowman & Sunflower II" by Make Friends With Puppet. Please check the booklet and individual programme leaflets for details.

Ends/Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Issued at HKT 12:04

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