Placing the flowers
Entertainment: Here’s looking at Leslie and Anita
Ricky Yap
Mar 29 2004
‘Remembering Leslie & Anita: Two Legends & One Myth’, a forthcoming stage-play, honours the late ‘elder siblings’ of Hong Kong showbusiness. RICKY YAP writes.
BOTH were held in such high regard by their peers that they were affectionately regarded as the "big brother and big sister" of Hong Kong showbusiness.
Tragically, however, Leslie Cheung Kwok-Weng committed suicide on April 1 last year, followed eight months later by the death of Anita Mui Yin-Fong or "Big Sister" from cervical cancer on Dec 30.
Leslie and Anita were ground-breaking entertainers whose careers each spanned more than 30 years. He was known for his outspokenness, with his sexual preferences always subject to public scrutiny, while she was called the "Madonna of Asia" for her flamboyant stage persona and outrageous costumes.
Their deaths not only sent shockwaves which were felt far beyond Hong Kong, they also left behind their musical legacy.
To pay tribute to the two late superstars, a play will be performed next week at The Actors Studio Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur.
Remembering Leslie & Anita: Two Legends & One Myth is actually a re-working of Leslie The Legend that was held last June, with four sold-out shows.
Melvin Lam, who directed that show in memory of Leslie, said he planned a repeat performance this year due to the overwhelming response.
"However, the untimely death of Anita prompted me to stage a joint tribute to the two superstars," said Lam, who is now the producer, with Low Ngai Yuen, co-host of TV women's programme 3R, as the director.
MY FM announcer Roland Lee Chee Seng was roped in to be the playwright of the production, whose dialogue will be in Cantonese, and with a repertoire of 18 songs.
Lam was quick to add that the new show was not an autobiographical account of the two late artistes' lives.
"Rather, Remembering Leslie & Anita: Two Legends & One Myth is a fictional story set against the background of the Hong Kong entertainment industry 20 years in the future (2023)," said Lam.
Its futuristic setting will see an imaginative interpretation of technology and songs. In order to enhance the audio and visual effects, the play will incorporate multimedia technology, bringing back the golden moments of Leslie and Anita on screen.
The story revolves around Bobo (played by Ling Tang) and Chan Kiu (Gan Hui Yee), two admirers of Leslie and Anita, who strive to recreate their idols' legendary status by grooming two young artistes, Presley (William San) and Mui Yun Sam (Candy Cheah).
In their rise to the top, Presley and Yun Sam experience trials and tribulations that mirror those real-life experiences of the two late superstars.
There is even a character, called Dong Dong (played by S.K. Low), based on Leslie's male companion.
A five-piece live band will provide the background music for the songs in the play, whose production cost is said to be RM60,000.
There will be five performances of Remembering Leslie & Anita: Two Legends & One Myth at The Actors Studio in Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur, with opening night on April 1.
Tickets are priced at RM40, RM80 and RM100 for the 8.30pm shows on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Prices are the same for the matinee performance at 3pm on Sunday.
The Premiere Charity Night performance is on Friday, with ticket prices at RM100, RM200 and RM300. Proceeds are in aid of the Kiwanis Down's Syndrome centre.
Call the box-office 03-2094-0400/1400 or e-mail: tickets@theactorsstudio.com.my.
