The Macao Arts Festival is back for its 35th edition, which will be staged from 25 April to 31 May, embracing “Growth” as its theme this year and taking audiences through an eclectic programme. This year’s line-up features 15 productions, covering theatre, Chinese opera, dance, music and visual arts. There are also 33 outreach events, including backstage tours, pre-show talks, and workshops.
The full programme can be seen here. Tickets are on sale simultaneously through the Enjoy Macao ticketing outlets, hotlines and website from 10 am on 22 March.
Read on and mark your calendars for five must-see shows at the Macao Arts Festival this year.
Life of Pi
After hitting the West End and the Broadway stage, this epic production docks in Macao to serve as the festival’s grand opening. The 5-time Olivier awards winner stunningly merges puppetry, state-of-the-art visuals and lighting design to portray Pi’s story of perseverance and hope following a shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean.
The play is based on the best-selling novel (not the film adaptation directed by Ang Lee that won multiple Academy Awards) of the same name by Yann Martel, which sold over 15 million copies. It was adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti and is directed by Max Webster. Premiering for the very first time in East Asia, it will feature Chinese subtitles.
Outreach programmes for Life of Pi include a theatre movement workshop led by the production’s puppeteers on 23 April (those who are 15 years of age with at least 2 years of theatre experience are eligible); an exclusive backstage tour led by the crew for ticket holders aged 13 and above on the 26 April; and, the following day, a pre-show talk by director Gabriella Bird on the creative ingenuity of the production and insights on transforming words into theatre.
When: 25-27 April
Where: Grand Auditorium at Macao Cultural Centre
How much: From 120 to 400 patacas
Kiki’s Delivery Service – the Musical
Inspired by the classic Japanese fantasy novel – made famous by the animated film by Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki – the musical production of Kiki’s Delivery Service will bring to life the beloved characters and heartwarming settings from this lighthearted, coming of age tale. Crafted by a leading Japanese production team, with Kouki Kishimoto as playwright and director and featuring a youthful cast, with Honoha Yamato as Kiki, audiences young and old are promised striking scenes combined with tailor-made tunes and thrilling special effects.
This popular musical production premiered in 2017 and has been performed over 70 times across Japan. For its first tour away from home, Kiki’s magical spell will be cast upon Macao. It’s performed in Japanese, but Chinese and English subtitles will be available.
Both adults and children are invited to the pre-show storytelling session, to be held in Cantonese on both days, where skilled narrators will take you into this enchanting world before you step into the theatre.
When: 17-18 May
Where: Grand Auditorium at Macao Cultural Centre
How much: From 120 to 400 patacas
What’s the Deal?
Written and directed by Miguel de Senna Fernandes, local Macanese patúa theatre group Dóci Papiaçám di Macau are back with their latest production What’s the Deal? Celebrated for their witty humour and sharp satirical comments on the big issues of this small city, this uniquely Macanese tradition will deliver yet another laugh-out-loud performance, this time tackling Macao’s urban transformations and everyday quirks.
Patúa theatre was enlisted on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China back in 2021. A creole language rooted in ancient Portuguese, with influences from Malay, Cantonese, English and Dutch, among others, its significance is the vivid embodiment of Macao’s cosmopolitan character.
The show will run for approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, and subtitles in Chinese, Portuguese and English will be available.
When: 30-31 May
Where: Grand Auditorium at Macao Cultural Centre
How much: From 120 to 300 patacas
Deling and Cixi
By renowned contemporary playwright He Jiping, and first performed in Hong Kong in 1998, the gripping tale set of Deling and Cixi is set in the Forbidden City during the late Qing Dynasty
Directed by Li Ren and featuring a stellar main cast including Jiang Shan, Lang Ling and Xiao Yuliang, the play follows Deling, a young and courageous aristocrat educated in the West who is summoned to the palace, where she faces Cixi, the authoritative Empress Dowager. Despite their differences, the two develop a special bond, amid the backdrop of a turbulent period in China’s history. The play will be performed in Mandarin, with subtitles in Chinese and English.
A meet-the-artist session is slated for 21 May, where author He Jiping – twice nominated for Best Screenplay at the Hong Kong Film Awards (and once nominated for Best Original Screenplay by Golden Horse Award) – will speak about her creative journey in writing Deling and Cixi and also offer insights to inspire young artists in Macao and Hong Kong.
When: 23-24 May
Where: Grand Auditorium at Macao Cultural Centre
How much: From 120 to 400 patacas
Food
Creator and performer Geoff Sobelle presents Food, a solo theatrical piece with an absurdist sense of humour, where audience members are invited to an intimate dinner and gathered around a giant table that puts all your senses to the test. The piece combines rigorous design and stage illusion to explore the ways and whys of eating, tracing the history of food and shaping conversations about the consumption and evolution of food processing.
Food has been brought to stages around the world, from Edinburgh Festival to Toronto’s Luminato and Melbourne’s Rising. Despite its name, food is not served at this performance, however seats at the table include a glass of wine for patrons aged 18 or above. The piece will be performed in English, along with Cantonese interpretation.
Post-show on 9 and 10 May, ticket holders will be offered a glimpse into the creative ingenuity behind the production, to discover how this immersive theatre experience came to life. A meet-the-artist session is also slated for 10 May, when Sobelle, whose specialty in absurdist theatre and handcrafted mechanics that earned him numerous prestigious accolades, will share his artistic insights into turning the ordinary into something humorously surreal.
When: 8-11 May
Where: Box II at Macao Cultural Centre
How much: From 300 to 400 patacas
