The ill-fated musical receives well-deserved but delayed applause

The musical The Impossible Trial co-produced by West Kowloon Cultural District and Hong Kong Repertory Theatre is a journey lasted for eight years. It all began in 2014 when golden duo composer Leon Ko and lyricist Chris Shum wanted to write a musical set in the Qing dynasty. Later, with playwright Cheung Fei-fan and director Fong Chun-kit coming on board, the idea turned into a complete production and finished a preview run in 2019 (it was called The Great Pretender by that time). It was scheduled to open in 2020, yet it was forced to reschedule due to COVID. However, the plan had to be delayed again since some actors were listed as close contact with the infected persons which resulted in the cancellation of the first three shows. The ill-fated musical finally premiered on Sept 13th.

According to the article in the house program, the creative team had made a lot of changes after the preview, including several scenes and songs being cut, and the multi-narrative structure that took the plot back and forth between the Qing dynasty and the present day is also cut to make the storyline more concise. The refined musical tells the story of Fong Tong-geng, Guangdong’s most prominent advocate, who was known for his greed and injustice act. After learning he is haunted by the ghost of a childhood friend Ah Sai and will be drawn to hell if one more injustice act is done, he is determined to redeem himself.

The storyline may become more focused after the revision, there are “voids” in the plot yet to be filled. For example, how does Sai meet the female protagonist Sau Sau? How does he fall in love with her? The musical ends with the narrator speaking to the audience that he is going to tell a story. I find it abrupt if not awkward. It took me a while to guess he is referring to the book about Fong which Sau Sau has finished right before the final line of the musical.

The dramaturg Low Kee-hong expressed in the article that the court scenes are almost impossible, as it has to strike a balance between being entertaining while keeping the plot easy to follow under intricate musical settings. There are three trial scenes and they are all well designed. Shum sets the songs in these scenes using colloquial language which makes them sound more natural and easy to follow, while Ko changes the style of music whenever new elements appear on stage to keep the scene ‘fresh’.

The set design of this three hours long musical is not complicated at all, it mainly uses a rectangle platform placed on a revolving stage, and together with different backdrops and sets being hung up and down, it transports the characters from one place to another smoothly and economically. Director Fong cleverly uses the revolving speed as means of dramatic expression. There is a scene where Fong and Sai are blaming each other for the situation they are facing, two protagonists stand at opposite ends of the platform and the tension is heightened and visualized as the platform rotates faster.

There are 19 songs and The World In A Grain Of Rain sung by Jordan Cheng is the showstopper of the musical. This is when Sai reconciles with Fong and no longer wants revenge. Cheng’s warm and round tone successfully carries the audience away and his fantastic technique in controlling the vocal colours and singing high notes (including one high B) without any restraint. He is no doubt one of the top musical singers in Hong Kong.

His duet Sometimes with his mother Mrs Sung, portrayed by Man Sui-hing is the most touching moment of the musical. The story tells Fong, Sau Sau and Sai visited Mrs Sung after 16 years. Ko deliberately uses the acoustic guitar as the main accompanying instrument to provide a nostalgic feeling. It is remarkable that though Mrs Sung doesn’t show any sign of sorrow in the lyrics and acting, the scene is so moving as she sings with her invisible son. I heard soft weeping sounds from the nearby audience.

Seeking A Divine Answer, sung by Rick Lau (portraying Ho Tam-yu, an advocate as well as a monk) is claimed officially to be the hardest number of the show. It is a song when Ho is disappointed and furious with the Buddha as he failed to save lives in the village. This number is definitely a killer for any singer because of its extreme range (more than two octaves). The song starts with a monotonous melody, as if a plainsong, backed by the chorus singing open fifth harmony to give a hollow and solemn feel. As the song continues, Ho becomes more and more emotionally charged and bursts into soaring high notes, alternating between falsetto and chest voice. Rick finishes his last solo on stage brilliantly. However, the music fails to support the extreme emotion due to the instrumentation. Ko tries to build up the mood by adding only light instruments like flute and strings on the base of the religious style arrangement, resulting in a relatively thin texture which can’t match the weight of the singer.

The voice of Sau Sau, portrayed by a relatively young actor among the main cast Tunes Ting, is sweet and innocent, reminiscent of the voice of pop stars in the 80s such as Priscilla Chan. There is room for improvement in her solo The Cliff. The voice shifts when transferring to her higher range, hence the inconsistency in the tone colour disrupting the musical phrase.

The Impossible Trial may be the first musical production in Hong Kong that has the luxury to enjoy long preparation time and a preview run. The delayed grand opening is certainly worth the wait. Yet the journey shouldn’t end here, let’s hope there will be a rerun in the future, in and outside Hong Kong, just like the commercial musical production in the west.