The Impossible Trial, the most popular Hong Kong musical in mainland China, will come home in August and offer an extra 10 performances for this year’s run, taking the number to 30, the production’s organiser has said.
The West Kowloon Cultural District announced the musical’s additional shows while unveiling details for its latest performing arts season, which will consist of more than 700 performances spanning music, dance, Chinese opera, theatre and the city’s first large-scale cabaret event.
“The audience on the mainland had absolutely no problem with [The Impossible Trial] being in Cantonese. I feel that the power of performance could transcend linguistic boundaries,” said Paul Tam Siu-man, executive director for performing arts of the cultural district’s managing authority.
“In about two years, our new performance venue will open, the WestK Performing Arts Centre. We’ll be discussing next week how to bring the Impossible Trial to this new space.”
The Impossible Trial is the first original Cantonese musical and has attracted more than 35,000 audience members to its 23 sold-out shows during a three-month tour of Beijing and Shanghai, a record number for a Hong Kong musical on the mainland.
The musical’s third run back home will start in August at the Xiqu Centre. Thirty shows, including 10 extra ones, will be held and feature a second cast set to perform in Hong Kong for the first time. The production held more than 50 shows in 2022 and 2023.
