performance+
MUST I CRY
“Here I am, searching in a foreign place, for someone I no longer remember.”
'At that time, I told myself not to cry, and so I didn't.'
This critically acclaimed five-star performance from Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 is debuting in Hong Kong!
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Follow a woman’s magical journey in time, as she returns home to search for signs of her late father - transforming a childhood game into a final quest to remember. Inspired by the works of celebrated Hong Kong author XiXi and the poignant story of the last northern white rhinoceros, this visually captivating production tells a story of love and loss intertwined with live music, storytelling and video projections.
Through a blend of poetry and magical realism, Must I Cry depicts a past that is present, delving into our memories amidst an ever-evolving cityscape.
- Performed in English with Chinese surtitles
Five Stars performance from Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Reviews
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★ ★ ★ ★
ThreeWeeks Edinburgh
“The title ‘Must I Cry’, subtle yet profound, reflects the deep connection between memory, home and love.”
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★ ★ ★ ★
Edinburgh Festival Magazine
“The technical elements complemented the storytelling from Chan flawlessly. On stage we have live music from the talented Lay Chi-Bun who uses a variation of percussion instruments and accordion to create a live accompaniment. This applied with the use of soft sound effects and use of projection creates the most impressive multimedia experience.”
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“This show is an underrated masterpiece and truly highlights the literacy works of Xi Xi, it is an essential watch for those around in these last few festival days.”
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Previews:
Hong Kong Soul returns to Edinburgh Festival Fringe (hintonmagazine.com)
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​“Coming back to Fringe this summer is a very special occasion for the company because Theatre du Pif was formed and developed in Edinburgh. And this year I am very excited to be bringing my best collaborators, my set designers who I’ve worked with for a long time, and my lighting designer, and also live musician. We're bringing one story which is really close to all of our hearts, because it's based on the city we are living in Hong Kong, and this very fast changing city. And the subject matter is also about memory and loss in a fast changing city, and how the central character can maybe find a way to transcend this nostalgia and find new strength in her daily life in the future.”​
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Performance
Coming Soon!
15 Dec (Sun) 4pm
Play reading in Cantonese
Hong Kong Cultural Centre, GR3
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17-18 Jan (Fri-Sat) 2025 8pm
18-19 Jan (Sat-Sun) 2025 4pm
Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Studio Theatre
$320, 280
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19-25 Aug 2024 8:45pm
Venue 152
Paradise in Augustines
- The Sanctuary
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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Team
Director/ Devisor/ Performer
Bonni Chan
Devisor/Text/ Video Designer
Pun Tsz Wai
Literary Advisor+
Liam Hurley
Musician/ Composer
Lau Chi-Bun
Stage Designer
Sylvia Chan
Costume Designer
Cheng Man Wing
Lighting Designer
Lau Ming Hang
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​+Hong Kong performance
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Director’s Note (EdFringe)
Join us as landscapes meet…
in this present moment, 當下 (dong haa)
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Yet, when these words are uttered,
當下 the moment has already passed,
disappeared.
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“Must I Cry” reflects a moment in time,
encapsulating the past, present and future.
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Join us on a journey through a landscape caught between 當and 下.
An impermanent rock,
where buildings stack upon buildings,
and a father, his daughter and a white rhino,
find themselves on the verge of loss.
Fragments of words,
lights,
shapes and forms have always been here to refract the whole.
It is our enormous joy to meet in this city so far away from our own, to share this moment with you all.
Thank you.
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