CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Friday, May 11, 2018 HK | CULTURE 11 Festival Theater of storytelling The fi rst Hong Kong Spoken Word Festival celebrates interactive live recounting of personal experiences. Melanie Ho reports.

growth,” in an English spo- Rachel Smith, Hong hen Rachel Kong Confi dential and fea- Sara Tang, producer Kong Spoken Word Smith fi rst turing Smith, Sara Tang from ken word festival in Hong of the Better in Bed Festival founder, says thought of Better in Bed and Regina Kong, says Angus Gallagher, series of podcasts, the idea is to build organizing a Larko from #impact. Tang “but people don’t always will discuss the art a community that’s spokenW word festival in Hong started her podcast about sex know how to contribute”. of creating widely stronger and more Kong, she was unsure of the and sexuality last September, Gallagher is the emcee of the followed podcasts at coherent. PHOTOS response. using storytelling as a medi- Hong Kong branch of Liars’ the festival. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY “There are so many groups um for guests to share their League. “This festival gives doing spoken language and stories and experiences. people who come to some some really fantastic per- “I think podcasting is a events the opportunity to see formances,” Smith said. “We powerful medium,” Tang that there are other events weren’t sure what to ex- said. “It’s a kind of long-form and groups out there that pect this year but when we storytelling. Stories are very they might also enjoy.” Angus Gallagher, reached out to all the di er- powerful for us — that’s how Liars’ League originated Kristen McNamara who emcees for Liars’ ent groups we had an over- people are engaged. Because in London and a Hong Kong shares her story at a League Hong Kong, whelming response. We’re sex is so personal, storytelling chapter started in 2013 with Hong Kong Stories- says the festival trying to build a community is really critical for us to show quarterly shows. Writers hosted evening in will help spread March. that’s stronger and more co- a diversity of viewpoints.” submit short stories or fl ash awareness about the spoken word events in herent.” Tang has done 13 episodes fi ction based on a chosen the city. Smith is the producer and of the podcast, which has theme. A panel of judges se- organizer at Hong Kong Sto- both local and international lects six to eight stories. Each ries, a volunteer-run orga- appeal — approximately half story is paired with an actor nization that began in 2012, of the listeners come from the who performs the piece on producing 13 live shows a United States, with another stage. year. Each show features quarter based in Hong Kong. “Being on stage and having eight storytellers, all telling a “Sexuality is quite a unique these pieces brought to life topic and it’s unusual be- draws you in and can be quite Dennis Yiu tells a true story that they have not Roshani Shetty tale at a Hong Kong only written but spent the cause it’s being done in Asia,” entertaining,” Gallagher said. reveals what’s cooking Stories event in March past month rehearsing. It’s a Tang said. “It immediately at- “It’s a di erent experience to in her kitchen at Hong based on the theme of far cry from simply turning tracted a lot of attention and reading a story on the page.” Kong Stories’ March “What’s Cooking?”. up on stage to read. we have about 12,000 down- Gallagher said the themes meet. “Spoken word does sound loads, which shows there is (the Liars’ League event in very boring, but it’s very dy- a latent hunger and demand the festival lineup is called namic and there’re a lot of for resources both within Patrons and Parasites, for ex- performances and audience Asia and around the world.” ample) generate a wide vari- interaction,” Smith said. “You During the panel conversa- ety of stories both from Hong have a full performance; it’s tion, Tang hopes to get more Kong writers as well as short not static. People understand people involved in podcast- story and fl ash fi ction writ- that you have to ‘pay’ your ing. ers based overseas. Stories Chris Wong telling audience for attending — you “I think most of the ques- range from the esoteric to the Austin Tang his story at a Hong need to give a show. It doesn’t tions will be about the cre- humorous and everything in describes how he Kong Stories session mean over the top or overly ative process and on how we between. faced the music and themed “Face the acted, but when it is much come up with ideas and fi nd “It’s like going to a play for lived to tell the tale at Music” held in April. more of a performance, it’s guests,” Tang said. “Personal- free, where you get stories Hong Kong Stories’ much more interesting.” ly I would like to inspire and you would never have read April event. The fi rst Hong Kong Spo- encourage people to join the on a usual evening,” Galla- ken Word Festival beginning podcasting scene and to show gher said. “I think one of the on May 18 involves nine dif- them that it can be done. It’s things that Rachel wanted ferent organizations ranging not very hard to be a pod- was for all of us to get to from improv and comedy to caster as long as you have a know each other and to re- poetry and podcasting. The good idea.” ally shine a spotlight on the events include live perfor- increasing popularity of spo- Katie Larson narrates mances and workshops and Cross-pollination of ideas ken word.” her experiences in an closes with the play The 39 Encouraging others to get “In the Classroom”- Beatrice Wong has involved — either as audi- themed evening Steps. a go at storytelling in hosted by Hong Kong ence or as participant — is IF YOU GO a Hong Kong Stories- Stories in 2015. Going public something that each group hosted evening One of the event highlights is hoping to achieve through Hong Kong Spoken Word Festival exploring “The Produced by Rachel Smith, Hong is a panel discussion on pod- the festival. Kong Stories Senses”. casting in Hong Kong, hosted “There’s a lot of cross- May 18 - June 2 by Jules Hanaford of Hong pollination and potential for Various venues www.hongkongspokenwordfestival.com

Opera A woman who loved on her own terms By PETER GORDON acclaimed singers including French ten- It all comes to a climax outside the bull- that by turns reveals to us the bullfi ghting or Jean-Francois Borras, who is making, ring. Carmen has already read her fate arena, the mountains, the town square When Carmen premiered in 1875 in with much of the cast, his Hong Kong in the cards. When Don Jose attempts to and its crowds and the intimacy of the Paris, it was considered revolutionary debut. “Carmen is a sublime opera,” he prevent her from joining Escamillo in his tavern.” for featuring real people — gypsies, sol- says, “Bizet’s music is intoxicating. It victory, she tells him, “I was born free and Carmen herself remains a character diers, smugglers, tavern owners, factory has all the ingredients of a masterpiece: free I shall die! So kill me, or let me pass”. that intrigues and confounds. She is, says workers, bullfi ghters, even “the girl next the story of a love that ends badly, with She throws away the ring he gave her, the Borras, “a sensual woman, untamed, who door” — set in a real place in real time. passion and music”. last symbol of what binds her to him. “Don fi rst and foremost claims her liberty in a Many critics and much of the audience This story of love gone fatally wrong Jose,” says French director Jean-Romain man’s world”. Despite being almost a cen- were left bemused; the opening was is set in 19th-century Seville, Spain. Vesperini, “kills Carmen to break the spell tury and half old, “Carmen is a heroine for not a success. The opera didn’t take o Carmen’s eponymous heroine starts of her fl ower”. today,” adds director Vesperini. until it was performed later that year her seduction of Don Jose by tossing Vesperini has designed an innovative outside France — which was too late for him a fl ower. After trapping Jose in a nested revolving set for this entirely new IF YOU GO its composer Georges Bizet, who died a life of crime, Carmen soon tires of him production. “I wanted a set which, while Carmen: An Opera in 4 Acts few months after the premiere. in favor of Escamillo, the bullfi ghter not an exercise in realism, both portrays Composed by Georges Bizet The upcoming performances by or toreador who returns her devotion, Spain and sparks the imagination,” he Performed by Opera Hong Kong Dates: May 16 - 20 Opera Hong Kong as part of this year’s besides singing what is probably the Marie Karall rehearses for Carmen with local members of says. “The scenery has us travel and brings Venue: Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui Le French May feature internationally opera’s most famous aria. the cast. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY us into the souls of the characters, scenery www.operahongkong.org

Film Review Lobster was great, Deer’s even better

By ELIZABETH KERR sive, absurd and emotionally wrenching. life and pay the bill on its outstanding strong as The Lobster was, it ran out of At the heart of the story is handsome, debts. The fi lm builds to a shocking end- narrative steam before the end, but Deer Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is successful surgeon Steven Murphy (Far- ing, less so for its execution than for the does not, and is easily Lanthimos’ most not to all tastes. The polar opposite, ton- rell), whose perfect, oddly structured life dispassionate inevitability of it all. This cohesive fi lm yet. ally and stylistically, of most of the mod- includes slightly fetishistic sex with his is not a Hollywood fi lm. Deer would unravel without its fi nely erately challenging or brazenly popcorn icy wife Anna () and pos- The Killing of a Sacred Deer’s retro calibrated performances: Cassidy man- material currently gracing the screens, sibly a drinking problem. His best friend visuals, long, static corridor shots and ages just the right kind of teenaged Lanthimos’ fi lms are like fi ne wine. The appears to be an emotionally stunted aural hush conspire to make the fi lm disa ection and Suljic the right kind of longer it breathes the richer it gets. Case teen, Martin (Barry Keoghan, Dunkirk), something of a puzzle that e ortlessly pre-teen eagerness to impress that traps in point, 2015’s The Lobster, a pitch-black whom he regularly meets at a diner near toggles among bleak dark comedy, dis- them, and Kidman once again demon- satire of the contemporary romance work and seems to be mentoring. comfi ting psycho-sexual thriller and strates she’s most a ecting in small, The Killing of a Sacred Deer genre. Steven introduces Martin to his im- quiet meditation on guilt, rage and potent doses, where her cool, distanc- Lanthimos is back at it, collaborating peccable family, which includes ultra- reparations — all with a supernatural ing persona has the most impact. But again with his new muse, , adjusted children Bob and Kim (Sunny spin that can be taken symbolically or Keoghan and Farrell carry the load. In in The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Best de- Suljic and Ra ey Cassidy), who begin straight. In typical Lanthimos fashion, Bruges director Martin McDonagh and Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos; written by scribed as alternative voodoo chiller, the falling ill as Martin digs in deeper and the robotic line readings and unnatural Lanthimos have best exploited Farrell’s Efthymis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos. Starring deeper before fi nally revealing an ulteri- physicality ironically bring the emotions subtle mix of charm, danger and ennui, fi lm takes a fundamental horror trope Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan. UK/Ireland, — stranger infi ltrates and destroys a or motive we all knew was coming. Ulti- at the story’s core into sharp relief; they and here, with Keoghan, he’s crafted an 121 minutes, IIB. Opens May 17. family from within — and warps into mately, Steven and Anna are compelled belie an utter lack of control for Steven indelible karmic portrait, loaded with something simultaneously transgres- to confront the ghosts of their perfect and misguided mastery for Martin. As questions he never stoops to answer.