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World of performing arts

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World of performing arts
News and reviews of the performing arts – ballet, contemporary dance, opera, theatre, musicals and more – in and around Hong Kong and beyond.
(From right) Kabuki actors Kikugoro Onoe VII, his son Kikugoro Onoe VIII and grandson Kikunosuke Onoe. Photo: AP

How Japan’s kabuki theatre legacies are kept in the family

In the traditional Japanese art form, which featured in the Oscar-nominated Kokuho, names and skills are passed down through generations.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Hong Kong Ballet brilliantly dances to Beyond, Queen and Depeche Mode

Sexual harassment and assault

‘A system of slavery’: ex-geisha apprentice on the dark side of the tradition

Art

A legendary opera singer on playing the ‘bad boy’ on stage

Bryn Terfel’s journey as one of opera’s most commanding voices, from singing at King Charles’ coronation to Verbier Festival’s inaugural China edition.

Bryn Terfel, the bass-baritone. Photo: Rolex/Elisa Haberer
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, 22, wows the Hong Kong Arts Festival

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields put on a spirited performance with South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim and guest conductor Wilson Ng.

At 82, Monty Python’s Eric Idle is not slowing down

Eric Idle discusses Spamalot’s return to LA, his love for comedy and why being part of the Monty Python troupe ‘doesn’t make you brothers’.

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Sadiq Khan

The world’s burning but ‘people just want to dance’, says Sadler’s Wells co-CEO

How do you make a cultural district out of a dumping ground for fridges? Ask the artistic director of Sadler’s Wells theatre in London.

Sir Alistair Spalding at M+ in Hong Kong. He is artistic director and co-CEO of Sadler’s Wells in London. Photo: Jonathan Wong
US, Israel war on Iran

Will the UAE’s art industry be a casualty of the Iran war? Experts weigh in

Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation programming adviser Toufic Maatouk shares why the Iran war doesn’t worry him. But not everyone agrees.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Chinese opera troupe’s retelling of ancient love story ends with a ‘brilliant’ surprise

At the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the new work ‘Red Wedding Bed’, based on the Liyuan opera classic, retells the tale of Chen San and Wu Niang.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | No heroes, no villains: a finely shaded Eugene Onegin in Hong Kong

National Theatre Brno’s Eugene Onegin at the Hong Kong Arts Festival centred on Tatyana and featured lush music and a minimalist set.

Curtain call by the National Theatre Brno after its performance of Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin at the 2026 Hong Kong Arts Festival on March 21. Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Arts Festival
Music

Nicholas Tse, EXO among top music and art events coming up in Greater Bay Area

Jane Zhang concert, Art Week Shenzhen and French musical Don Juan also coming to Shenzhen, Macau and Guangzhou in March, April and May 2026.

Nicolas Tse plays guitar in a still from the music video to his new song, “Evolution”. Tse will bring his “Evolution Nic Live” concert tour to Shenzhen in March. Photo: Instagram/chefnicookies
Comedians and comedy

Making jokes in Hong Kong is a serious business

From TakeOut Comedy Club to Backstage Comedy and open mic nights, Hong Kong’s stand-up scene is growing, thanks to some dedicated producers.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s CCO plays sumptuous Mozart at Hong Kong Arts Festival

The Hong Kong debut of Gardiner’s Constellation Choir and Orchestra was impressive in its attention to detail and colourful musicality.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Stunning beauty and power in Hong Kong performance of Caravaggio

Roberto Bolle dazzled among a cast of seasoned and upcoming stars in this ballet about Caravaggio’s art and violent life.

Roberto Bolle and Maria Khoreva dance in a previous performance of Caravaggio in Europe. The Hong Kong show was part of the programme for the 2026 Hong Kong Arts Festival. Photo: Dennis Cursio

Tristan und Isolde is a challenging opera to stage. Yuval Sharon did it anyway

Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde is one of opera’s hardest to put on, but Yuval Sharon – who makes his Met debut – loves a challenge.

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Soprano Lise Davidsen and tenor Michael Spyres in the title roles in a rehearsal of Tristan und Isolde at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Photo: AP
Fame and celebrity

Timothee Chalamet faces the music for saying ‘no one cares’ about opera, ballet

Performance groups around the world clapped back at the Hollywood star’s remarks, while a German minister invited him to watch a show.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Stella Cole Quartet’s delightful delivery of jazz and film classics in Hong Kong

Smooth, playful, dramatic and teasing, the Stella Cole Quartet gave its Xiqu Centre audience a night of all-American nostalgic glamour.

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On Our Radar

The Hong Kong Arts Festival is back. These are the shows to book first

Tradition meets tech as stages both real and virtual host dance, music and immersive magic.

The Czech Republic’s National Theatre Brno will perform Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival. Photo: National Theatre Brno
TV shows and streaming video

From Heated Rivalry to Two Strangers, how romcoms are taking over TV and theatre

A clutch of new romantic comedies are warming hearts this winter across various media. But why are they proving so popular?

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | She seduced some of the most powerful men. A ballet tries to tell her story

Despite some excellent dancing, Ballet Nacional de España’s La Bella Otero fails to do justice to the notorious Belle Époque star’s story.

What's hot in Korea

This award-winning playwright rejected Hollywood… for a Korean zombie musical

Jethro Compton shares why his choice to adapt musical The Last Man for UK viewers is about ‘experiences’ rather than advancing his career.

Jethro Compton attends the 2025 Laurence Olivier Awards after winning the best new musical award for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The playwright says his new role, as a dramaturge on Korean zombie play The Last Man, is about “having new experiences and working with interesting people”. Photo: Getty Images
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Hong Kong group brings ancient Silk Road murals’ musical depictions to life

The Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble’s musical compositions are inspired by ancient artworks from China’s Mogao Caves.

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Musicians from the Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble perform in front of the Nine-Storey Pagoda at the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, in northwest China’s Gansu province. Photo: Simon Song
US-China relations

Exclusive | Hong Kong pianist brings music – and a message of openness – to Washington

Fresh from his Cliburn win, Sham says music can bridge divides as he tours the US amid geopolitical tensions and decoupling debate.

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Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Trump is abducted by aliens and has Chinese ‘twin’ in chaotic Cantonese opera

Showing in Hong Kong, Trump on Show 4.0 combines political satire and surreal Sino-US commentary but feels like a ‘paper tiger’ with no bite.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

‘Unconventional bodies’: inclusive dance team’s upcoming Hong Kong show

Unusual Symptoms’ experimental dance project Harmonia challenges audience biases about the human body.

Harmonia, performed by the inclusive dance theatre group Unusual Symptoms, stars performers with congenital limb differences, dwarfism and wheelchair needs – and challenges audience biases about the human body. Photo: Unusual Symptoms
Wellness

Hong Kong Ballet and Pure Fitness join forces to offer new exercise programme

The dance and strength training crossover aims to dispel the perception of ballet as an inaccessible and elite art form.

People take part in an introductory workshop led by Shen Jie at a Pure Fitness gym in Central. Hong Kong Ballet and Pure Fitness have united to demystify ballet, offering workshops that blend dance and fitness. Photo: Sun Yeung
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Hong Kong concert where audience can walk around and see musicians up close

Neither audience members nor performers will be confined to their seats at the concert from the inclusive music ensemble Paraorchestra.

Fame and celebrity

First, Ralph Fiennes played Eugene Onegin in a movie. Now he directs the opera

Fiennes made his opera directing debut this week at the Paris Opera’s ornate Palais Garnier with his unique take on Eugene Onegin.

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