Arts preview: Les Missréblse

EAST WING WEST WING 10 LES MISSRÉBLSE HONG KONG
Zuni Icosahedron

It was a decade ago when Zuni Icosahedron staged 2046 CE Bye Bye, the first part of what would become the theatre company's long-running and popular satirical drama series East Wing West Wing. It was also the year when Hong Kong was plagued with bad news: the Sars outbreak and the suicide of Canto-pop star and screen idol Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing.

"We weren't sure if it was appropriate to go on with the show and poke fun at what was happening then, especially when the quarantine at Amoy Gardens had just started," says composer, singer and actor Cedric Chan Ho-fung who has been in the series since 2003. "But what we're trying to do is never a comedy show. Our aim is to raise awareness - in a light-hearted way - of issues that matter to us but are neglected or not covered elsewhere."

The troupe produced eight more EWWW shows in the intervening decade that explored a wide range of social and political topics from democracy and bureaucracy to the roles of the local media and politicians.

The 10th offering - directed by Mathias Woo Yan-wai - looks back at major events that have taken place in the city over the past decade. Does Les Missréblse (Zuni's take on Victor Hugo's literary classic Les Misérables) sum up it all up? Chan chuckles and says: "We'll leave that for the audience to decide."

As in previous instalments, music plays a key role in this production. It feature a new medley titled I Dreamed a Hong Kong Dream, as well as numbers that pay tribute to Canto-pop singer Danny Chan Pak-keung who died 20 years ago.

"Music has always been an important part [of this series] because there are many cultural references in that are better conveyed through pop music," says Chan, adding that they have released an album featuring songs from the series to mark the 10th anniversary.

vanessa.yung@scmp.com

Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, October 3-10, 8pm, October 5 and 6, 3pm. HK$162-HK$280 Urbtix. In Cantonese. Inquiries: 2566 9696