THE SUCCESSFUL West End rock musical Blood Brothers hits Hong Kong next week with a cast of local stars in the making. Having been postponed from its original date in April because of Sars, the show has been moved from the Fringe Theatre to the larger Shouson Theatre to accommodate the demand for tickets. The six original shows sold out in four days.
I meet the lead actors, who are said to have inspired this flurry of ticket-buying, one scorching afternoon in Wan Chai. The confident threesome are bursting with energy. It's hard to know who to look at first.
Jamie Wilson could pass as a rock star. His mop of curls and retro orange shades cover a face that is eerily recognisable. It turns out the 29-year-old was creative director for the theme-restaurant Igor's for four years, but since its relocation to Singapore the Londoner has been 'staying creative in Hong Kong'. Plans are under way, he tells me eagerly, for a one-man show at the end of the year - his own, male version of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues.
The 25-year-old opposite him is just as familiar. This is Tony Sabine, sports presenter on ATV World. This summer, however, he is escaping to London for a third round of auditions at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada).
Camilla Arnold, a jolly primary schoolteacher/actress, has equally high hopes. She is leaving Hong Kong this summer to seek stage stardom in Sydney.
At the head of this table of ambitious youngsters is the ringleader - looking completely out of context. Lindsey McAlister is usually surrounded by swarms of children. But things are changing for the founding director of the Youth Arts Festival. This is the second time in a year she has directed a play for adults.