Going out

Theatre Offshore. Shouson Theatre, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Wan Chai. December 19-20. 8 pm. $60, $100, $150 (students $40). Urbtix on 734-9009.

A trade dispute between the United States and Japan puts both countries in a sticky situation in this musical comedy from the San Francisco Mime Troupe. The US is planning prohibitive tariffs on Japanese semiconductors unless Japan allows imports of American rice. As the two protagonists - a Japanese businessman who deals in semiconductors and whose roots are in rice farming, and a Clinton-appointed lawyer on the US trade team - get set for a head-to-head in Tokyo, the repercussions of their meeting will be felt around the Pacific Rim. The show opened to rave reviews in San Francisco last year and takes place as part of the Third Asian People's Theatre Festival.

Aladdin. Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai. December 29 - January 4, 8 pm. December 31 - January 2, matinees at 2.30pm. $150, $250, $350, $595. Urbtix on 734-9009.

If the Disney cartoon brought a lump to your throat, then take yourself off for an evening of escapism. This production of Aladdin, in which poor boy meets rich girl and fights off evil influences with the help of an omnipotent genie, has a New York cast and a string of special effects. There's a magic flying carpet (of course) plus levitation, illusions and laser technology. With the score surprisingly written by Cole Porter (it was the last one he wrote for a family show on CBS before his death in 1964), the show includes such songs as I've Got You Under My Skin, I Concentrate On You, Trust Your Destiny To Your Star and I Adore You. Welly Yang (who is taking a break from Miss Saigon) plays Aladdin, Imelda de los Reyes the princess and Ernestine Jackson the astrologer.

Dance The Red Detachment Of Women. Sha Tin Town Hall. December 25, 27. 8 pm. December 26, 2.30 pm. $80, $140, $190, $250. Urbtix on 734-9009.

First performed in 1964, this revolutionary 'better-red-than-dead' ballet is set in the '30s and depicts the conflict between the Red Army and the Kuomintang. In the two years prior to the Cultural Revolution it was performed 1,000 times. The influence of Soviet-style ballet and modern dance forms are apparent but Chinese traditions such as folk dance, acrobatics and material arts are also brought into the production. The story describes the plight of the Red Detachment of Women, a group which revolt against their wicked landlord under the leaderships of peasant heroine Qinghua. The score, which includes many well-known Chinese melodies, will be played by the ballet's own orchestra using traditional Chinese instruments as well as Western.