Inspired by French playwright and novelist Jean Genet's masterpiece The Balcony , three new creations of remarkably divergent styles will be presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and 20 beans + a box. Since its premiere in the '70s the original The Balcony has never failed to provoke heated controversy due to its provocative - some say subversive - content as well as its extraordinary and imaginative mindscape. Equally eccentric and challenging, the upcoming performances will reveal three different and weirdly wild worlds which are depicted in sensational imagery. The concept of 'pretence' has been derived as a common textual element to carry developments of the three pieces; 'The Psychogeography of Balcony' by Jamsen Law, 'The Emptied Jacket of Balcony' by Steven Pang and Anthony Leung, and 'Strolling at the Pacific Place of Balcony' by Chiu Chi-hon. All three will be staged at McAulay Studio, Hong Kong Arts Centre at 7.45 pm from May 4 to 6. An extra matinee has been scheduled of 2.45 pm on May 5. Tickets at $100 and $60 (students) are on sale at Ticketek Hong Kong. For inquiries, ring 2582 0231. Reservations can be made by phone on 3128 8288 or the Internet at www.ticketek.com.hk A concert by Diana Krall, the winner of Best Jazz Vocal Performance of the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, will be staged in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall at 8 pm on May 7. Hong Kong audiences can experience personally what critics hail as the 'soulful, glamorous' talent of this world- renowned Canadian jazz singer in one of the highlights of this year's Jazz Up series. Tickets priced at $400, $300, $220 and $150 (students, half price) are now available at all Urbtix outlets. Programme enquiries can be made on 2734 2935; reservations on 2734 9009. People with a hearing- impairment are more sensitive to the environment and have unique presentation skills to express themselves. A group of hearing-impaired personalities - Theatre of the Silence - will premiere its speechless production Four Dogs and a Woman at 8 pm from May 4 to 6 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Studio Theatre. The production combines theatre and puppet performance by four hearing-impaired actors who tell the story of a 40-year- old woman who is waiting in a passenger lounge for her plane. Her solitude is interrupted when an attendant drags in four black boxes, filling the room with excitement. In her panic, the woman recalls previous love affairs with four men - all of whom had strong attachments to dogs. Tickets at $120 and $90 (students, half price) are now available at all Urbtix. Programme enquiries can be made on 2770 2275. Reservations: 2734 9009. A visual interpretation of orchestral music offering a unique insight into the classics will be presented by two of the world's greatest mime performers - T Daniel and Laurie Willets - who use body language to interpret orchestral favourites performed by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta under the direction of Louis Tillet. Selections include Night on Bare Mountain, The Comedians and Peer Gynt . Legends and Fables - T. Daniel and Laurie Willets in Symphonic Mime , will be staged at 8 pm at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium on May 4, and at the Yuen Long Theatre Auditorium on May 5. Tickets ranging from $60 to $120 (students, half price) are now available at all Urbtix outlets. For enquiries, ring 2734 2935. Reservations can be made on 2734 9009. Graphic: hotticglo