Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Witness a Disappearing Act
Hong Kong's last dedicated Cantonese opera theater, the Sunbeam, has had multiple near death experiences. The latest came in February 2009, when a rent increase seemed to indicate the final blow for the 37-year-old venue for the classical Cantonese art form. In a coup for preservationists, the government stepped in and decided to subsidize half of the venue's rent for the next three years. That's good news for now, but the theater's owner has said he will not extend the lease again. The point? Get there before 2012. You may not understand the lyrics, but the dazzling costumes and cheering grannies from the neighborhood provide more than enough entertainment.
— By Ling Woo Liu