Karaoke (WestK)

Two solo performances tracing the paths of memory in unique ways

In this double bill of two solo works, Hong Kong artists Melissa Leung and Michelle Li explore personal and collective memories through the body and voice.

“When I was young, my mum would take me to karaoke almost every weekend. We used to sing until the last train home.” – Michelle Li

Interdisciplinary artist Michelle Li, co-artistic director of Hong Kong theatre company Rooftop Productions, takes childhood memories as the starting point for her new solo work Karaoke.

Weaving together family anecdotes, stories from public archives, personal recollections and popular songs, she takes the audience on a nostalgic search for home and identity. Through a poignant medley of humorous tales, Canto pop hits, Cantonese opera classics and English folk tunes, we experience the transformation of a city through the decades, and the intricate ties between the personal, the familial, culture and identity.

* The first half of the programme is Body As Archive: Drifting by Melissa Leung Hiu Tuen, who uses movement and the narration of personal and collected stories to explore how memories and emotions reside within the physical body.