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Local arts group Alice Theatre Laboratory is to re-run its acclaimed non-mainstream work "1001 Nights of Pasolini" in April as a further tribute to controversial Italian poet cum film director Pier Paolo Pasolini and his passion for the stage.
Pasolini was murdered in a suburb of Rome on November 2, 1975, being run over several times by his own car. The murderer, Giuseppe Pelosi, was only 17 years old. In 2005 Pelosi suddenly retracted his confession, saying, "I was terrorised, they have threatened my father and mother. But now my mother is dead of cancer, and my father died ten years after her. And these people are either dead or old. I am no longer afraid."
Pasolini travelled between great extremes during his life. He was a poet as well as a film director, with a number of his movies failing the censor; he believed in communism though his family had Fascist connections; his thoughts were otherworldly and his movies were regarded as highly controversial, especially among the public. Pasolini had extraordinary levels of creativity, yet often destroyed what he had achieved in a bid to outrage what he regarded as the twisted values of the public. He remained highly active until his life came to its sudden end. Whether his murder was a simple act of violence or for more complex reasons remains a mystery.
Premiered in 2010, "1001 Nights of Pasolini" was nominated for Best Director and Best Stage Effects at the third Hong Kong Theatre Libre in 2011. The forthcoming re-run is directed by Andrew Chan and the cast includes Chan Shui-yu, Ben So, Desmond Lai, Law Chung-kin, Kan Lap-keung, Hui Wing-sum, Wong Yee-mun and Eric Leung. The director and actors explore Pasolini's life and movies with the aim of revealing the meaning behind his work alongside their own critical interpretation. The team has also published a free art appreciation guide book for members of the audience, in which they record the creative process of the production from start to finish.
"1001 Nights of Pasolini" is one of the programmes in the Re-run Run shows series presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. It will be performed in Cantonese at 8pm on April 19 and 20 (Friday and Saturday) and at 3pm on April 20 and 21 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Theatre, Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $120 and $180 are now available at 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.) A maximum discount of 20 per cent is offered for group booking package.
In addition, post-performance talks will be held after the first and the last performances, and a pre-performance talk (conducted in Cantonese) will be held on April 7 (Sunday) at the Committee Room (South), 7/F High Block, Hong Kong City Hall. The production contains coarse language and adult content.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/theatre/program_172.html. Ticketing enquiries can be made on 2734 9009 and credit card telephone bookings on 2111 5999. Tickets can also be booked online at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Friday, March 8, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:09
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