Grand Expectations - This is the final chapter of Edward Lam's urban trilogy. Caught the second chapter last year and I personally preferred last year's act to this.Like how it is titled, people living in cities often have grand (great) expectations and sometimes even the most successful person can still be unhappy.
Perhaps the same story can be told in two hours and so it got a little draggy towards the end.
The only consistency in both was the good acting from the actors.
Li Xinjie and Tony Yang (very good looking!) are the two new main leads to the final instalment of this trilogy.
Hopefully Edward Lam will come up with fresh ideas and another good play for next year's Huayi Festival.
The other theatre production I caught this year is Red Rose & White Rose by National China Theatre. The play is adapted from the famous novel by author Zhang Ailing. The three main characters are each depicted by two identically costumed actors - one portraying the character's outer persona and the other the inner emotions - and all are on stage together throughout the play. It's like the same character is acting with himself/herself and with the other characters as well.
Very challenging to do on stage which I believe requires a great amount of time to rehearse to ensure there's zero mistake since you can't do a second take on stage.
The two plays contrasted very well in terms of the acting methods and theatre techniques, down to the settings and background of the stories - such different styles. It has been a good experience this Huayi Festival :)