A Place To Die . . . Probably Multiplex McAulay Studio Hong Kong Arts Centre October 24 Again, a game of deception for those who are not in the know. The final instalment to the theatrical trilogy paying tribute to La Boheme, A Place To Die . . . Probably has the least to do with Giacomo Puccini's masterpiece on downtrodden artists. While the other two productions in the event, Shu Ning Presentation Unit's Dance On The Soap and DD Duck's No Pay Leave, construct metaphysical discourse about the concepts of idealism and creativity - two vital undercurrents in Puccini's romantic ode - A Place To Die . . . Probably harbours no traces of any of the notions in La Boheme. The inspirational drive behind this performance is purely existential - and in this case Multiplex took to a similar mental path that Puccini apparently trod more than a century ago. In Puccini's time, the human race was struggling for air amidst monstrous industrialisation and imperialism, an age where artists questioned the practicality of holding on to principles in poverty. Now, the question is similar: in a world that even technology has proved impossible to save, is life worth living and death really the worse option? A Place To Die . . . Probably is a collection of scenes that strive to scrutinise the fertility of life. The set was all gothic gloom, a la H R Giger, the dress post-apocalyptic rags last seen in Mad Max, and topping all this chaos were the pumping pop songs from Multiplex main man Keith Leung Kei-cheuk. Beside a monologue about death and souls and a section in which a man responded to a woman's slaps with loving embraces - a reflection of the absurdities of love - the contents are open to individual interpretation: actors were made to play chess, down bananas or just scuffle around. Coherence is only conspicuous by its absence. Much of the audience seemed baffled as they soldiered to the exit afterwards, but to dismiss this production as indulgent fodder might be too harsh a judgment. Steering clear of wearing the message on its sleeves might probably have been the ultimate objective. It reflected the prevalent attitude of this generation, where indifference is a virtue, being obvious is necessary and the mundane is God. A Place To Die . . . Probably provides much space for contemplation of the modern disease.
