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"The Andersen Project", a multimedia 3D theatre performance written and directed by renowned theatre icon Robert Lepage, produced by Ex Machina (Canada) and performed by Yves Jacques, will bring an extraordinary visual experience to audiences next month.
Lepage excels in using stage technologies and multimedia. He has conjured up a visual marvel of the virtual and the real on stage, with seamless changes of scenes, imaginative use of props and a highly innovative, modernistic stage design that will stun audiences.
This one-man show is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's two stories, "The Dryad" and "The Shadow", as well as his anecdotes in Paris. It draws on the confrontation between romanticism and modernism, recognised and underground art forms, past and present. Lepage also explores questions of sexual identity, unfulfilled fantasies and a thirst for recognition and fame that are drawn from Andersen's life and writings.
The story is about Andersen, a Qub
cois songwriter, who has come to Paris at the behest of L'Op
ra de Paris to write libretto for a children's opera based on a fairy tale. During his stay, he meets an odd Op
ra manager, a North African graffiti artist, and a dog that guides the tale along its way.
Yves Jacques is the virtuoso actor who plays the songwriter, the manager of L'Opra de Paris and the Moroccan graffiti artist. He metamorphoses easily and convincingly from one character to another as he takes on different looks, accents and a different age.
This production contains adult content. It will be performed in English and French with Chinese and some English surtitles.
Robert Lepage was the Artistic Director of the Th?tre Fran?ais at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa before founding Ex Machina in 1994. He is known for creating multidisciplinary productions with multimedia visual effects.
Ex Machina (Canada) is a multidisciplinary company which believes that the performing arts should be mixed with recording arts. The group has been the channel between scientists and playwrights, set painters and architects, and artists from Qubec and the rest of the world.
Yves Jacques is a well-known Quebec actor in film and theatre. He was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France in 2001. He has taken part in Lepage's solo works since 2001 and was awarded Montreal¡¯s Theatre du Nouveau Monde's Best Actor for his performance in "The Far Side of the Moon".
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, "The Andersen Project" will be at 7.30pm on June 20 and 21 (Friday and Saturday); and 2.30pm on June 22 (Sunday) at the Auditorium, Kwai Tsing Theatre. Tickets priced at $160, $220, $300 and $360 are now available at URBTIX outlets. Senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients are entitled to 50% off (limited quotas for students and CSSA recipients on a first-come, first-served basis). Group booking discounts are available. Please check the programme leaflet for details.
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7323; for ticketing enquiries and reservations, call 2734 9009; for credit card telephone bookings, call 2111 5999; for Internet bookings, visit www.urbtix.hk; for more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp.
Ends/Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Issued at HKT 10:56
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