Traditional entertainment in a modern setting

I've often found that having friends who are visiting from overseas or who are only living in your city for a short period is a fantastic way to force you to do more in your own city.  Too often we find ourselves putting off doing things or exploring places because we think we can do it later.  That later never seems to come unless we decide otherwise.

At the moment, Ayuna and I both had a friend who was living in Hong Kong for a few months and she was keen to see lots of different parts of the city.

One thing we all wanted to see was some Cantonese opera.  In particular, we wanted to go to the Xiqu centre in the West Kowloon cultural district.  This area had been under construction for years and it had now finally opened up for the public to enjoy.  It was the perfect time for all of us to visit.  To top it all off, another one of Ayuna's friends wanted to come and our friend Zuzanna's parents were visiting her.  It would be a nice excursion.

The Xiqu centre itself is a beautiful building.  There's been a lot of criticisms of its design, particularly that it looks a bit "toaster" like from the outside.  Some of those criticisms may be well founded, but up close and particularly inside the main atrium, it is a fantastic big and open space.

We had decided to go and watch our show at the "Tea House theatre".  This would give us an introduction to Cantonese opera rather than requiring us to watch a full opera in its entirety.  The layout of the seating was something different as well, with the theatre designed to look more like the traditional Cantonese opera settings where people sit next to tables and are served food and tea throughout the show.  The seats could have been a bit more comfortable, but I liked how they incorporated in the side tables for our food and tea.  It made everything feel a bit closer to the authentic.

I had arrived early (unlike everyone else), so I was able to enjoy the location for a bit before the show started.

As the lights dimmed, none of my friends had arrived.  Slowly, they shuffled into the theatre in the darkness and made their way to their seats.  Our choice of the "introduction" to Cantonese opera was a wise one.  We got to see a variety of different styles and the directors had clearly chosen some "funnier" scenes from various operas to keep us entertained.  None of us had any experience with this form of performance, so any more detailed nuances would have been lost of us.

Watching the performers dance and sing, it was unquestionably beautiful.  The considerations for the form, the movement and various actor interactions were careful thought out and deliberate.  I think I want to come back and watch some more, but next time I might bring my parents.