************************************************************
"Tearless Honour", directed by Lester Chan and to be staged in March by the Hong Kong Movie & TV Theatrical Society, is a large-scale theatre epic sure to bring audiences an unforgettable and stunning experience.
In 2002, the troupe presented Chu Hak's "Romance of Xiguan" and received an overwhelming response. One decade later, acclaimed actor-director Lester Chan is bringing to the stage Chu Hak's sequel, having adapted it to create an unparallelled multimedia epic in "Tearless Honour". The production tells the story of a family migrating from Guangzhou to Hong Kong during the Sino-Japanese War and World War II, a period that changed forever the relationship between the Mainland and Hong Kong, and dictated the development of post-war Hong Kong society up to now.
"Tearless Honour" tells of a young man's call to honour and his journey in serving a devastated China during the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War in the 1930s and '40s. Chan Ka-tung, the protagonist, was born into a rich family in Xiguan, Guangzhou. Like those in Generation Y today, he aspires to a bright future. But the Japanese invasion of China becomes his call, and he joins the army to serve his country. The experience of war, love and politics, however, brings about his girlfriend's death, as well as his flight from the country.
Upon resettlement in Hong Kong, Chan is again thrown into the ravages of war by the Japanese invasion. He and his family have to tackle the enemy with wit, yet, to his great dismay, he witnesses the death of his family and friends while narrowly escaping for survival abroad. On his return to Hong Kong after the war, he discovers that his home was ruined by the "Allies' mis-bombing". The many vicissitudes in life, nevertheless, seem to have led Chan to see the root of culture and heritage in one's integrity. Decades later, he still hears vividly a song sung by a group of retreating students, whom he met en route in a serendipitous encounter.
The cast of "Tearless Honour" includes renowned movie and TV artists like Shek Sau, May Tse, Lily Poon, Anderson Junior and more than 30 experienced and young artists. The production explores a picturesque marriage of Chinese art and Chinese music of the 1930s and '40s along with video art, transforming the theatre into an astounding and sensual experience.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, "Tearless Honour" by the Hong Kong Movie & TV Theatrical Society
will be staged at 7.45pm on March 10 (Saturday) and at 2.45pm on March 10 and 11 (Saturday and Sunday) in the Auditorium, Yuen Long Theatre. Tickets priced at $180, $140 and $100 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 full-time students and CSSA recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis.) Please refer to the programme leaflet for details of the group booking discount.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/theatre/00000374.html. For ticketing enquiries, please call 2734 9009. For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999. Internet bookings are available at www.urbtix.hk.
Associated activities to be held in connection with the performance are:
Foyer Exhibition
----------------
Topic: "The 'Historical x Dramatic' Time-Space of the Multimedia Epic Drama 'Tearless Honour'"
Date: February 28 to March 11
Place: Exhibition Corner, Yuen Long Theatre
Free admission
Pre-performance Talk (conducted in Cantonese)
---------------------------------------------
Topic: "'War of a Century' x 'Grill of Humanity' - deconstructing the maze of 'History x Drama'"
Date: February 17 (Friday)
Time: 7.30pm
Place: AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Speakers: Lester Chan and the production team of "Tearless Honour"
Registration: 2268 7325
Ends/Friday, January 27, 2012
Issued at HKT 12:08
NNNN
