The 1st Macau International Comedy Festival (MICF) kicked off last week, and one of its shows, the Cantonese version of the interactive comedy “Shear Madness”, debuted at the Black Box Theatre of the Macau Cultural Centre, with the play’s producer Lam Wai Kei talking to the Post about the play’s co-creation with the mainland-based comedy production company Mahua FunAge.
Mahua FunAge is a Beijing-based mainland comedy film and stage play production company founded in 2003
“Shear Madness” has been playing since its premiere in 1978 at The Kennedy Center. The show is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running play in US history.
The story of “Shear Madness” happens in a salon of madness, with a hidden “hairdresser” committing a treacherous crime – murdering under the nose of hundreds of attentive audience members, according to the festival booklet.
In 2021, Mahua FunAge adapted and launched the Chinese version of “Shear Madness”, and at this year’s festival, the Cantonese version of “Shear Madness” was performed for the first time, Lam pointed out, highlighting that the play was produced by the Macau cast, and its main actors were the students of the first comedy training class jointly organised by Mahua FunAge and the School of Theatre of the Macao Conservatory.
Lam explained that while “Shear Madness” has been translated into 28 languages worldwide, her team chose to adhere closely to the original script, infusing it with a distinct Cantonese flavour.
Rather than simply translating the script from Putonghua into Cantonese, they meticulously crafted a version that aimed to resonate with local audiences, resulting in punchlines unique to the Cantonese rendition, according to Lam. “I believe that if we do the play in our native language, it will resonate better with the audience,” Lam said.
Lam said her team was happy that the local cast had the opportunities to communicate with outstanding actors and mentors from all over the world, and could expand their vision and performance style.
Lam said, “We want to let more people know that there are many comedians and artists in Macau who are passionate about comedy and are working hard in their own fields.”
Lam said she believes that the International Comedy Festival has injected new vitality into Macau’s cultural tourism industry, and hopes that the festival will be held annually, and more comedies will be performed in Macau where Cantonese is widely spoken.
“The festival is a new venture in Macau, and we hope to explore more new projects with local teams in the future.” Lam said, adding that by doing so, her team hopes they can gradually turn the festival into a business card of Macau, attracting more people to visit Macau.
Lastly, Lam expressed the festival’s ambition to introduce mainland audiences to the rich comedic experiences of Mahua FunAge comedy, “We believe that happiness and laughter are the common language of mankind and can bring people closer together,” Lam said.
The week-long festival ended on Monday.
Photos provided by MICF
