When Sushi Meets Wasabi Pip Theatre Shouson Theatre, HK Arts Centre Reviewed: Jul 24
Love has been likened to many things, from wildflowers (it's often found in the most unlikely places) to war (it's easy to begin but hard to end). Actors Tyson Chak Hoi-tai and Harriet Yeung Sze-man (left), creators of this new Pip Theatre production, compare love to sushi because, despite its wide variety, it's not to everyone's taste.
Directed by Jim Chim Sui-man, When Sushi Meets Wasabi is a series of sketches and vignettes that look at modern love through the eyes of the post-70s generation; some have been through the marriage and divorce cycle at least once to be cynical about what they call 'that yucky thing'.
'This is your story!' exclaim Chak and Yeung, both in their mid-30s, before taking the audience through one disastrous date after another in the opening act.
The pair also explore the realm of teenage sexual fantasy in their hilarious take on the Twilight movies (below), with Yeung playing the angst-ridden Bella pursued by Chak's hormonal, goofy Jacob. Do people grow out of sexual rejection and hang-ups from their teen years?
In the most memorable sketch, a couple invite their friends and relatives to their 'divorce ceremony', which proceeds exactly like a Hong Kong wedding feast. The sketch ends with both destroying all the important reminders of their relationship, which is both sad and powerful.