WHEN Tseng Sun-man saw Archaos at the 1991 Edinburgh Festival he was amazed, delighted and quite sure Hong Kong wasn't ready for it.
''That was then,'' says the Arts Festival's executive director. ''Now attitudes have changed, though Archaos is certainly not for conservative types.
''Anyone who imagines this is a family show or a conventional circus is in for a shock.'' If any single offering epitomises the bold new direction of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, it is this French company which captivated at Edinburgh and the Adelaide Arts Festival and will make its local debut at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium next March. ''PutMad Max into the ring with The Three Stooges, Fellini, The Globe of Death, Monty Python, The Dirty Dozen and Jacques Tati and you're halfway to Archaos,'' reads a pithy description. Pile on anarchy, violence, nudity and outrageous humour, and you've almostmade the full distance.
Along with Archaos, four other Hong Kong Arts Festival 1994 attractions have been given a special, indeed provocative label: The Cutting Edge Series.
What it comprises is not as significant as why it has come about. Certainly, it reflects the rapidly growing sophistication of local audiences.
In true Hong Kong fashion, the cultural scene, fed increasingly by international and mainland influences, has developed at a phenomenal pace, with 1997 adding a special spur.
