THE PLANNER

Published: 12:00am, 24 Oct 2002

Night Scene

Jewels And Cocktails

Here are two reasons to head for the Gecko bar tonight if you are a gem-loving female: there is a free 'huge' cocktail for all women and Zilli Jewellery and accessories are displayed for sale. These handmade pieces are crafted by two Australian women using precious stones from the Philippines. Tonight, 8pm. Gecko, 15-19 Lower Hollywood Road, Ezra Lane (next to Propaganda). Tel: 2537 4680

Coffee Culture

Blair Donaldson, a Hong Kong-based coffee consultant and the owner of Cafe Zambra, 'spills the beans on the secret to good coffee'. The evening offers an introduction to the history of coffee growing, the technique of roasting beans and 'coffee cuisine'. Coffee and refreshments will be served with finger food. Tonight, 6.30pm. Cafe Zambra (upstairs), 239 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai. $100. Reservations: call 2535 9198 or e-mail [email protected]

Hui Bon Hoa

Tonight, Olivier Hui Bon Hoa from Vins de France is holding a wine tasting and dinner at 2 Sardines on Elgin Street. The four-course dinner includes a choice for main course of roasted fillet of black cod in soft herb crust with basmati rice and spinach in white wine sauce, paired with the Saint Veran, Bouchard Ainee & Fils 2000 or grilled rack of lamb with mashed potatoes and sauted vegetables and rosemary sauce, served with the Moulin a Vent Domaine Amadee Degrange 1997. The dinner is $390 plus 10 per cent. Reservations: 2973 6618

Anzen Chitai

Venerable Japanese pop band Anzen Chitai perform in the SAR for the first time in 15 years. The five-piece Hokkaido band became a household name here with their 1983 single Wine Red No Kokoro. Tonight-tomorrow, 8pm. Hong Kong Coliseum, Hunghom. $380-$480 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2888 0018

Funkraiser

The third annual Funkraiser takes over the DV8 bar in Wan Chai tomorrow. DJs Steve Yau and Doggy Vagueness will be spinning 'prime slabs of funk, soul and reggae'. $100 on the door. All proceeds go to the Child Welfare Scheme in Nepal - a British-registered charity that has been operating in Nepal for 10 years, providing medical services and building day-care centres for kindergarten-age children in remote villages in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. Last year's bash generated $50,000. Tomorrow, 9pm-2am. DV8, Sun Hung Kai Centre, Wan Chai. $100 on the door. Inquiries and tickets: call Doggy at 2982 1597

Culture

Luminous Black

Chine Gallery contends it is holding the first black-laquer furniture exhibition in Hong Kong, with more than 100 pieces from Beijing, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang and Fujian on show. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 1pm-6pm. Chine Gallery, 42A Hollywood Road, Central. Tel: 2543 0023. Opens today

The Choir Of Westminster Abbey

Up to 30 singers and 12 lay vicars from the Choir of Westminster Abbey will perform here before they appear at the Macau International Music Festival later this month. Their programme includes Mendelssohn's Ave Maria, Harvey's Come, Holy Ghost and Byrd's Rorate Caeli Desuper. Tonight, 8pm. Concert Hall, Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui. $80-$200 Urbtix. Tomorrow, 8pm. Auditorium, Tsuen Wan Town Hall. $60-$180 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2268 7321

Singin' In The Rain

It is the final week for this Australian production, which is based on the original 1952 film starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. Tonight-Sun. Lyric Theatre, Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai. Evening shows Tue-Sun, 7.45pm, $350-$695, matinees at weekends, 2.30pm, $295-$595. Tickets available from Ticketek. Further details at www.singinintherain.com.hk

Wit

The American Community Theatre performs Margaret Edson's Tony award-winning play about Dr Vivian Bearing, who is afflicted with ovarian cancer. Actress and director Jessica Lefkow takes the lead role (she has cut off more than a metre of her own hair to portray the effects of intensive chemotherapy). After the Hong Kong productions - directed by Rick Joyce - the cast travels to Beijing and Hanoi to perform the play and conduct workshops with local drama groups. Tonight-Sat, 7.45pm. Studio Theatre, Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central. $180 ($150) Ticketek. Inquiries: call 2521 7251

Love In A Fallen City

The 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre is celebrated with a reworking of Eileen Chang's famous novel, Love In A Fallen City, about the love affair between Fan Liuyuan and Bai Liusu. Conceived by artistic director Fredric Mao and dance visionary Edward Lam, with songs by Chung Chi-wing and choreography by Yuri Ng. Performed in Cantonese with Chinese and English surtitles. Tonight-Mon, 7.30pm. Grand Theatre, Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui. $100-$260 Urbtix. Inquiries: 3103 5900 or visit www.hkrep.com

Extra-curricular

Forum On Article 23 Legislation

The Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) will hold a public forum on the controversial proposed Article 23 of the Basic Law this weekend. Speakers include Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese; Alan Leong Kah-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association; Peter Lo Chi-lik, chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of Law Society of Hong Kong; Ong Yew-kim, honorary research fellow with the Chinese law programme of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Robert Allcock, Solicitor-General (still to be confirmed) and Fu Hua-ling, associate professor of the University Of Hong Kong's department of law. Sat, 9.30am-12pm. Foreign Correspondents' Club, 2 Lower Albert Road. Free. Fully booked but waiting list available. Tel: Blanche Li at 2869 8317

Photographer Of The Year

Those with a hunger for photography and capturing a memorable or newsworthy image, get your cameras ready and enter the FCC Photographer of the Year Awards. The competition is open to professionals, amateurs and students, and as well as the prestige of the title, offers exciting prizes. For entry details, stories on last year's winners and last year's photo gallery, visit Totallyhk at totallyhk.scmp.com

Urbtix: 2734 9009

Urbtix/CityLines credit-card booking: 2111 5999

Fringe: 2521 7251

CityLine: 2317 6666

TicketNet: 2312 9998

Ticketek: 3128 8288

For a complete listings service visit totallyhk.scmp.com.

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