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Throughout a century, Beijing’s renowned Fujude restaurant has been lauded for its roast ducks, exemplary of the perfect combination of colour, fragrance and succulence. The family business was built step by step through hard work, moving from a street stall to an indoor restaurant, later into a new building, bearing witness to generations of dedication. Yet keeping the restaurant competitive has not been easy, as the people involved are embroiled in petty fights and internal strife. With the changing times, who can take the hold of destiny?
Written by former HKRep Resident Playwright He Jiping, this 1988 play won the Ministry of Culture’s Wenhua Prize and Cao Yu Theatre Award and is now a treasured repertory in the Beijing People’s Art Theatre, having appeared on stage more than 600 times, proving itself a contemporary classic for the ages. In 2022, tickets for the 10 performances of the HKRep Cantonese adaptation of this Beijing-flavoured classic were all sold out; soon after, it garnered Best Director, Best Leading Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the Chinese Theatre Awards.
For this production run, Roy Szeto again applies his signature modern approach, reuniting with former HKRep principal and Golden Horse “Best Leading Actor” Tse Kwan Ho to join Yu Hon Ting, Chris Sun, Mercy Wong, Chow Chi Fai, Lau Shau Ching, Eddy Au Yeung, Chan Wing Cheun, Ko Hon Man and Poon Tai Ming, among others. This production begins its China tour in December, gracing the stages in Shenzhen, Foshan, Suzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, with Hong Kong as its final stop. The Top Restaurant will be presented at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre from 18th to 26th January, 2025.
After the owner Fujude—the most renowned duck restaurant in Beijing—retires from ill-health, his two lacklustre sons run the business to the ground. In comes Lu Mengshi who turns the establishment around. When the brothers witness the rising tide, they vow to fight Lu in regaining their rightful share!
Hailed as a theatrical masterpiece of contemporary realism, The Top Restaurant has won such accolades as the Ministry of Culture’s Wenhua Prize and Cao Yu Theatre Award. The Top Restaurant premiered by the Beijing People’s Art Theatre in 1988, then travelled to Hong Kong and toured Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. It was subsequently adapted as an acclaimed TV drama.
In 2022, the HKRep’s premiere production enjoyed a sold-out run. Soon after, it received Best Director, Best Leading Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the Chinese Theatre Awards. The Top Restaurant returns this season, welcoming again former HKRep principal actor and Golden Horse “Best Leading Actor” Tse Kwan Ho, who joins playwright He Jiping and director Roy Szeto—a reunion of the veritable dream team!
