By: Sarah Richard
If I told you I had a secret, and it was a REALLY good one, but I just couldn’t tell you, would you want to find out more? Because I do have a secret, a secret that you want to know, a secret that may just be one of the best secrets you will hear about in Hong Kong, a secret that actually, you can find out about…
This mysterious event I am talking about is the Secret Theatre Project.
Arriving in Hong Kong this month after sell-out shows in New York, Los Angeles and London, it has already taken the city by storm – albeit in a very hush, hush way! The theatre company have gained international recognition for their re-enactments of popular films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. Performed in unexpected locations such as disused warehouses, both the venue and title are kept secret from the audience. This unique concept is bringing immersive theatre into the spotlight in an extremely clever and creative way which both confused and excited me all at the same time.
And there are two words that are guaranteed to thrill the Hong Kong addict inside of me; ‘culture’ and ‘secrets’. With a serious lack of the first word in a city so ready for it, I was wholeheartedly hoping this would be the event to change that. What was to come completely surpassed my already high expectations.
All I was told was to meet someone at a location, bring along a masquerade mask and reveal a password they had emailed me just hours before. I genuinely knew nothing more about what awaited me for the rest of the night. I had heard whispers saying we could be taken over land and sea, and that what was to unfold was to be a thriller. But was that all just part of the production? Were they already trying to trick us by spreading false rumors? I was already captivated, confused and completely fixated by the creativity being unveiled.
The production was an adaptation of a popular film that the company had brought to life in a way that film can’t. They used the location to their advantage and created suspense and entertainment on a level previously unknown to these Asian shores. The actors were convincing, talented and original. However, this is hard for me, I REALLY want to tell you more, I want to tell you what happened, where exactly the location was, and what the productions was. I wondered how I would be able to write about something that I really couldn’t tell you much about, yet still create an honest opinion, and then I remembered a line Ernest Hemingway once wrote; ‘All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.’
And that sentence is this: you will not have seen this much creativity, talent and originality in Hong Kong until Secret Theatre Project shows you what they have created.
Expect the unexpected, maybe the more inquisitive among you may have picked up on some clues I have given you? Or maybe there are no clues? I urge you to enter into the unknown, to think outside the box, to go along without knowing anything in the trust that what you come back with is a unique experience that culture lovers and Hong Kong have been itching for.
When: Now until 13th Decemeber. Shows on Thursday, Fridays, two on Saturdays, and Sundays.
Where: Oh, come on, we are still not going to tell you…
Tickets: But hurry up, they’re going fast
