Hongkongers ‘take their cultural heritage for granted’, laments Cantonese opera master
Yuen Siu-fai, 72, one of the city’s old guards of an opera style considered an intangible cultural heritage, will perform on Sunday at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre
There is a strange phenomenon of local culture and artists playing second fiddle to their imported counterparts in Hong Kong, a Cantonese opera master has said after comparing the reception his troupe has received at home with reactions overseas.
Yuen Siu-fai, who is 72 years old and still performing, spoke of how his troupe’s staging of Backstage earned critical acclaim internationally but a more tepid response in Hong Kong.
Backstage is a modern tale of what goes on behind the scenes with a Cantonese opera troupe and features an array of costumes and martial arts demonstrations.
It premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014, and was only performed in Hong Kong two years later, in 2016.
Watch: backstage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014
It will be restaged on Cantonese Opera Day this Sunday at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Admission is free.
