I felt very honoured to have been given the opportunity to work with Ben Ieong of Hiu Kok Theatre at the end of last year. We co-wrote and co-directed Best Film Music of All Time, organised by Macau Band Directors Association and staged in Macao Cultural Centre. The concert is a collaboration of several art groups in Macao, with a symphonic band playing film scores, plus a play, dance and animation. Such crossover performance is not common in Macao, but is certainly significant to the growth of wind music. Due to time constraints, each participant spent a lot of time to practise for the concert.

Writing the play script is no easy feat because it has to be in accordance with the film scores, and the story has to go alongside the wind music. Therefore, we re-created new plots based on existing films – there are ten film scores and each represents a stage of the protagonist’s life. In the end we arrive in Macao and use the talk of the town (the controversial case of building high-rises that would potentially ruin the landscapes of Colina da Penha) to conclude.

The following is the plot outline: Gump (Music: Forrest Gump) is the only survivor of a planet destroyed by the Devil (Star Wars). His life is a total failure no matter when he is in school (Harry Potter), at work (Mission Impossible), or joins the Mafia (The Godfather). By chance Gump goes to the mountains and learns Kung Fu from martial art master Eagle (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). However he misses the classmate he likes so much, and with the help of Eagle, he arrives at the pier, takes the boat to look for his lover. On the boat he finally meets Ah Lai, his lover, but they are shipwrecked (Titanic). Here, a violinist plays Schindler’s List together with the band to express the devastation of losing a loved one. The Devil from outer space appears again. He destroys buildings in Macao and captures Gump (Pirates of the Caribbean). In the end, Gump harnesses the power of music and plays Somewhere In Time together with his companions and the band, repelling the Devil successfully. The beauty of Macao is safeguarded, the high-rises disappear, and Colina da Penha continues to bless everyone in Macao.

Everyone on the stage and behind the scenes has been working hard to do his/her best to create this theatrical production from inception to final curtain. With so many talented people get together, including the crew of Hiu Kok, Godot (Philip Chan), C-La in Macao, dancer Leong Iek Kei and actor Gary Ng, the outcome is a surprise. The creative process is perplexing and time-consuming. Fortunately the box office of the concert proves that it’s a success, with an attendance rate of 80% (apart from a few complimentary tickets to VIPs, we did not give out free tickets). Macao Foundation’s public concert is a good means to promote performing arts, but in the long run the promotion of the arts needs to be market-driven. Now most of the performing arts programmes are sponsored by government in Macao. Only if there are more interactions and crossovers between innovations and different forms of art will audiences be willing to go to the theatre, so that the arts can be popularised.