In the original Chinese operatic version, the beautiful but scheming prostitute To Sup-neung is torn between her total distrust of people and desperate search for true love. It is a tragic tale of torment and pain.
Its 1996 adaption, however, tells a different story.
Miss To Sup-neung, written by award-winning playwright Raymond To and staged by the Hong Kong Repertory for the Festival of Asian Arts.
The uplifting and comical tone is set from the start when tarty mamasan Ye Cha, played brilliantly by Chan Suk-yi, struts around the stage briefing the audience on the story's background.
When finished, she says racily: 'Now you know what to expect from this production . . . Category III material'. The entire play is in colloquial Cantonese with modern slang.
The gorgeous but miserly To (played by Liu Hongdou) falls in love with the feeble-minded Li Jai (Poon Chan-leung) who cannot even remember their first night of passion together.
However, that does not stop To from loving Li. They live together in Ye's brothel until Li runs out of money. Ye then demands that he leave unless he can pay for her services.
