Just as the stage doors are ready to close at the historic Sunbeam Theatre, there is a glimmer of hope that the centre for Cantonese opera in North Point will be rescued.
Chief executive candidate Leung Chun-ying is believed to have helped arrange a meeting between landlord Francis Law Sau-fai and a potential new tenant offering HK$1 million rent per month.
Cantonese opera playwright Li Kui-ming and his Prime Splendor Theatrical Troupe met Law on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of leasing the theatre.
The theatre will host its last performance on Sunday, as operator Hong Kong United Arts Entertainment decided not to renew the lease, which expires at the end of this month. Various parties have been making last-ditch efforts to rescue the theatre.
Prime Splendor's director, Yuen Hoi, said a 'kind-hearted person' whose name he did not reveal helped line up a meeting with Law, who was extremely private.
Yuen said Li, who is also a famous fung shui master and philanthropist, had been hoping to keep the Sunbeam Theatre alive and was proposing to offer HK$1 million rent per month. 'We upped the rent by roughly 30 per cent, hoping that we can convince the landlord to keep the theatre,' Yuen said.
Law acquired the property in 2003 for HK$162 million.