Review | Hong Kong musical The Impossible Trial has its issues but the songs are superb
- A co-production between Freespace and the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, The Impossible Trial follows a greedy and immoral lawyer in 19th-century China
- Jordan Cheng’s performance of ‘The World in a Grain of Rain’ is the show-stopper, proving that he is without doubt one of the best musical singers in Hong Kong
This musical’s title could have been the description of its long and arduous journey to final production. But eventually, The Impossible Trial triumphed.
It all began in 2014 when composer Leon Ko and lyricist Chris Shum wanted to write a musical about a greedy and immoral lawyer in China’s Guangdong province in the late 19th century.
It previewed in 2019 under the name The Great Pretender and its debut was scheduled for 2020. Then, the pandemic intervened; even the first three shows of last week’s opening were cancelled because cast members were listed as close contacts of Covid-19 cases.
The ill-fated musical, a co-production between Freespace and the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, finally premiered on September 13.
The main protagonist, Fong Tong-geng (played by Lau Shau-ching), is haunted by the ghost of a childhood friend, Ah Sai (Jordan Cheng), who tells him he will be dragged down to hell unless he redeems himself.
Despite the creative team talking after the 2019 preview of many changes to make the storyline more concise, the plot of the three-hour-long musical is still rather convoluted, with some confusing omissions that were possibly created by the revisions. For example, we are not told how Ah Sai met Sau Sau (Tunes Ting) and fell in love with her.
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And instead of a tightly written finish, the musical ends with the use of a narrative device that makes for an abrupt, awkward conclusion.
Three trial scenes are well paced. Shum uses colloquial Cantonese that is easy to follow, with adequate English subtitles. Ko changes the style of music whenever new elements appear on stage to keep the scenes fresh.
The simple set design works well, with much of the action taking place on a revolving platform. One scene, in which Fong and Ah Sai are in a heated argument, see its tension heighten as the platform spins faster.
Of the 19 songs, “The World in a Grain of Rain”, sung by Cheng, is the show-stopper. Cheng’s warm and round voice, his skilful control and command of the high notes prove that he is without a doubt one of the best musical singers in Hong Kong.
His duet “Sometimes” with his character’s mother Mrs Sung (Man Sui-hing) is the most touching moment of the musical, fittingly accompanied by just an acoustic guitar. On opening night, there were plenty of sniffles around me during this particular number.
Rick Lau, who plays Ho Tam-yu, a lawyer as well as a monk, has to tackle “Seeking a Divine Answer”, a song spanning over two octaves that demands a wide vocal range.
As the song develops, Ho’s intensifying emotions are represented by soaring high notes, which Lau handles brilliantly, alternating between falsetto and chest voice.
However, the instrumentation fails to support the strength of the vocal part, with the light flute and strings producing a relatively thin texture compared with the weight of the voice.
Ting, the female lead as Sau Sau, has a suitably sweet and innocent voice reminiscent of the 1980s Canto-pop star Priscilla Chan. However, the way her voice shifts when transferring to the higher range creates tonal inconsistencies and disrupts the musical phrasing.
While not perfect, The Impossible Trial is certainly worth the wait. Hong Kong has long had too few musicals that are accessible, can support many re-runs and lend themselves well to tours. With some refinements, this may well be one.
“The Impossible Trial”, Grand Theatre, Xiqu Centre, 88 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Until October 1, 2022. Reviewed: September 13
