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‘Being a rich man’s dog is better than living in a subdivided flat’: play depicts what happens when four high-flyers collide in 50 sq ft

My Luxurious 50 sq ft Life, a satirical comedy-drama about living in Hong Kong’s tiny subdivided flats, is back by popular demand

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The production, which debuted in 2014 and has been featured in Scotland, Taiwan and Shenzhen, is now set for a Hong Kong re-run. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Naomi Ng

What happens when an owner of a subdivided flat, a government official, a property developer and an interior designer get stuck together in a 50 sq ft cubicle for a week?

The answer is that rats, faulty electricity and mouldy walls drive them to despair before one of them declares: “Being a rich man’s dog is better than living in a subdivided flat.”

The grim scenario is part of a theatre show titled My Luxurious 50 sq ft Life – a satirical comedy and drama about how and why some Hong Kong people have to live in the notoriously tiny homes.

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The production, which debuted in 2014 has been featured in Taiwan and Shenzhen in mainland China, as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland.

It is now set for a Hong Kong re-run in December due to popular demand.

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In September its production company launched a new version of the play called a “mobile community show” with a 5.5-tonne truck revamped into a life-sized subdivided flat. The company went around the city putting on more than 40 street shows for schools and public housing estates.

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