The bittersweet nature of love
THE flyers for Calvin Poon Yuen-leung's one-man show for the Unforgettable 1999 Arts Festival display a Polaroid of a battered and bruised Poon pinned against a background picture of him sitting alone in a wide lonely expanse. Neither of them are particularly optimistic representations of love, which is what Poon's A Lover's Discourse is all about.
But, despite the bleak picture the flyer conjures up, Poon would be the last to describe himself as a victim of love. The 40-year-old bachelor laughs when the subject of pain and love comes up.
'For so many years, people have searched for love. We all want it and cannot live without it but each one has a different view of it. The pictures on the flyer are extreme opposites, just like love. Some people say that love is cruel but some say that love is sweet; they are exact opposites but they are both true.
'It's very interesting because what we expect and what we get out of our relationships reflect on our personalities. It is always changing and advancing but without it, we would be at a loss. It is a subject in which we will always be interested.
'I wanted to portray love as mellow but that would be too old-fashioned. I wanted to have a special angle on love. Bruises are one aspect of love but everyone has been through that, so I think they can see the funny side. I don't have any stage experience so by choosing this topic, the audience will find it easier to be engrossed in the show.' His rugged looks have made him a bit of an idol within the Canto-pop set, even though he has never really been a recording star. While Poon is reluctant to reveal whether he has been on the giving or receiving end of love's bruising, he adds: 'Every time you love, you are bound to get hurt. It just depends on the degree of pain and how you handle it. It is just like exercising: you know they always say, no pain, no gain. If you don't put in effort, you don't get hurt.
'Some people take part just to participate and you know that you will win sometimes and lose during other times, but you cannot just stand on the sidelines and comment on other people's experience.