[Fringe Festival 2026] Mr. Sommer and the Terrifying Piano Teacher

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Combining the poetry of theater and the imagination of music, a thought-provoking and hilarious collision takes the stage! This performance is adapted from the classic novel The Story of Mr. Sommer by renowned German novelist Patrick Süskind (widely known for his 1985 novel Perfume). Co-adapted and performed by celebrated local pianist Shelley Ng (Ng Yu Ching) and talented Hong Kong theater actor 邱頌偉 (Chau Chung Wai, also known as Ah Gai), it perfectly integrates the multiple perspectives of the child and the terrifying piano teacher from the novel, reconstructing our current crazy world in a witty style. It’s a chance to explore the true meaning of life through laughter!

Story Overview
Mr. Sommer is a well-known “backpacker” in the village, always carrying an empty backpack and walking endlessly around the village. Throughout the entire story, he only says one sentence: “Please be quiet.” Through the child’s innocent perspective, experiences such as terrifying piano lessons and being stood up by a favorite girl, the story presents an extremely entertaining narrative. It ingeniously guides the audience to reflect on the meaning of modern life—Is our life merely endless busyness, like chasing a rabbit we can never catch? Is the sense of alienation in the adult world a norm in cities? How can we think about the direction of the future, and realize or even surpass the imagined future?

Artists
Shelley Ng
Yau Chung-wai