Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in Virginus Puerisque that 'to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour'. For Hong Kong's Canto-pop god Jacky Cheung Hok-yau, the travel and the labour has certainly been a worthwhile effort.
'The road to success is filled with knowledge,' he said. 'Each successful stage brings new confidence.' It thanks to this increased confidence that Cheung is now ready to tackle his latest venture, a home-grown Hong Kong stage musical tentatively titled Snow Wolf Lake, even though it has been an idea that he has been toying with for the past five years.
'After my concerts last year, I really didn't know what to do next,' Cheung said.
'For shows like that, the production costs are high, there is some singing and dancing but other than that changes are small.
'I was already toying with the idea of doing a stage musical in 1991. But I didn't think it was the right time.' But after a successful round-the-world concert tour and platinum discs galore, Cheung finally decided it was now or never.
'I think what I have achieved makes me confident to take on something like that and gives the audience enough confidence to walk into the hall and watch,' he said.
'I've seen how well overseas musicals have been doing here so I assume the local market is already interested. These two factors work together.' Cheung, who left for New York this week for stage lessons, described the musical as a 'happily-ever-after love story'.