THEATRE (Fringe Festival) Big Wind. Sheung Wan Civic Centre Theatre. Tuesday to Thursday; 8 pm. $80 ( Fringe Club members $60). Urbtix on 2734-9009. In English, Cantonese, Thai, Hindi, Bengali and Nepali with subtitles.
If you're not Chinese, you may find yourself wondering what on earth Big Wind means (and it has nothing to do with eating beans). It's actually a Chinese version of musical chairs and, here, a metaphor for the experiences of migrant workers seeking their fortunes in Hong Kong. The farce deals with a Thai girl who leaves her parents, a Bengali lad who forsakes his wife and a divorced Hong Kong businesswoman who dreams of leading a simple life. Their paths cross and a series of misunderstandings enable all three to glimpse, briefly, their hearts' desires. A multi-cultural show penned by playwrights from six countries, and featuring the San Francisco Mime Troupe (their production Offshore was truly superb), my money's on Big Wind to be one of the best, and most Asia-relevant shows of the Fringe Festival.
Desire Caught By The Tail. Nestle Dairy Farm Theatre, The Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road. Monday to Friday; 8.45 pm. $130 (members $95). In English. Reservations on 2537-1482.
London's entertainment magazine Time Out described this production of Picasso's play as 'a deliriously frivolous, bawdy and diverting night out'. Sounds like an average evening in Lan Kwai Fong, but if you're tantalised by the idea of Picasso as a playwright, it could make a change. Set in a bizarre, fantasy world, the play revolves around an artist called Big Foot who seeks to explore the excesses of food and love, lust and death by bringing to life his own creation. Half Baked Venus are the London company behind this strangely interesting production.
Fou! Fringe Studio. Thursday to Saturday; 10.30 pm. $120 (members $90). In English.
In this two-woman play, Anna (Emily Maitlis), a stylish film editor in her late 30s meets Billie (Denise Davies), a popular soap queen in her early 20s. The inextricable link between these totally different women is that they are mother and daughter. Pregnant at 17, Anna gave up her baby for adoption and years later receives a letter from Billie who wants to get together. Fou!, directed by Tanya Cawthorne and presented by the Agitprop Theatre Company, is based on Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith's work, Love Child, but also draws on material from workshops about close female relationships.
Female Parts - A Woman Show. Fringe Studio. Tuesday and Wednesday; 8.45 pm. $100 (members $75). In English.