Love, family and relationships explored in musical about a dying grandmother and her teenaged grandson at arts festival
- The musical is about the relationship between a 13-year-old boy and his grandmother, who suffers from dementia and is about to die
- Social-distancing measures meant much of the show was written, produced and rehearsed in just six months, as opposed to the usual one to two years
Hong Kong’s annual International Arts Carnival (IAC) returns on July 9 with a series of live performances, after last year’s shift to online programmes forced by coronavirus-related restrictions.
The festival opener, Cinematic Memories on Train No. 5, is a children’s musical exploring family ties. Featuring established Hong Kong actors Joe Wong Yiu-cho and Harriet Yeung Sze-man, the show is produced by musical theatre company Actors’ Family, with composer and music director Chiu Tsang-hei directing the music.
“I’m very happy to be back,” says Wong, who has worked as a multimedia artist and acted in Hong Kong theatre productions for over 10 years.
“I never would have thought going back to perform on stage would make me this emotional. As actors, we’ve always considered performing in theatres as a normal part of our job,” he says. His viewpoint has changed and he now treasures “every chance” he gets to perform in theatres as the pandemic continues.
The musical, which runs from July 9-July 11, is about the cherished relationship between a 13-year-old boy Robbie (Wong) and his grandmother (Yeung). Robbie’s grandmother suffers from dementia and she is about to die.
