The Phantom Of The Sauna (In Cantonese), Jimmy's Style - Branch 5 Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre March 27 There seem to be a lot of phantoms lurking about Hong Kong in recent years. First there was The Phantom Of The Opera, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, then its local silver-screen adaptation Phantom Lover and then The Phantom In The Toilet, an import from Japan.

The latest is The Phantom Of The Sauna, on the loose to haunt the Hong Kong gay community. Written by Jimmy Kwok, this stage production consists of seven ghostly tales related to a haunted gay sauna. But Sauna is more than ghost stories. The tales only serve as the introduction to seven sketches about the main characters.

Each of them faces problems mostly to do with failed relationships, their inability to 'come out', sense of insecurity and social discrimination.

While some local 'gay' theatre productions tend to skim over the subject of homosexuality by looking at problems that could well be found in heterosexual relationships, Kwok goes a bit further to highlight the realities of being gay in Hong Kong and Chinese societies.

Why is it so tough for them to have stable relationships? One character points out having a relationship is more than just living together but introducing their partner to their own circle of friends. But can they come out and tell their friends 'this is my boyfriend'? What makes this production appealing to the general audience is its totally unpretentious approach to homosexuality. Gay men are not portrayed as over-the-top camp drag queens. Its humour (especially how they poke fun at the movie Titanic ) is more witty than bitchy.

Gay theatre has ceased to be taboo in Hong Kong. It is popular and staged in major venues. But just how far can gay artists go? While Sauna contains several explicit homoerotic sex scenes, one is left wondering why there is not a single kiss throughout the entire show.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51krrPAyJyjnmdiaIJ0f5hop6GZnqm8rnnSmqynmQ%3D%3D