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Kevin Kwong

Return Of The Ghosts Friend and Friend Drama Society McAulay Studio Arts Centre July 19 This presentation has the classic ingredients and characters of a wonderful farce: a dysfunctional family moves into an old house haunted by another unhappy ghostly clan.

 Staged by Friend and Friend Drama Society, Return Of The Ghosts is based on a popular television comedy of the 1980s of the same title that centres around the squabbling Ho family.

 There is the kind-hearted but ailing patriarch Mr Ho, his feeble son Mao Gor who is married to the miserly Fu Chao (which literally means 'tiger claws'), his younger son Ho Bid-do and daughter Ah Chai.

 The story begins when the family moves into an old house (on Haunted Street) that Mr Ho bought with his pension payout. It is rundown but big enough to accommodate his family.

 However, given the constant bickering between Ho Bid-do, Fu Chao and Ah Chai, the audience soon learns that harmony is possible only if they keep out of each other's way.

 On their first night, Mr Ho spots shadows on the wall that belong not to his relatives but the family who died there many years ago.

 The fun starts when the spirits - a gangster, his seductive young wife, their young son and devoted maid - each possess a Ho family member, except Mr Ho.

 What brought the house down with laughter was the possession of Ho Bid-do by the ghostly and sensual wife, who then tries to seduce the postman, and when the humble and obedient maid possessed Fu Chao.

 Though somewhat predictable and incoherent at times, this did not detract from the fun of the script.

 Lo Kit-ling was excellent as Fu Chao and Heng Chin-hung (who also produces the show) fared just as well as Ho Bid-do. However, the sad fact is Friend and Friend chose Return Of The Ghosts as its anniversary production because it has neither the manpower nor money to stage a new work.



Return Of The Ghosts