Beloved Cantonese opera venue Sunbeam Theatre, which closed down in North Point last month, has found a new home across the harbour in Hong Kong and is set to reopen as soon as mid-June.
The theatre’s chairman, Edward Li Kui-ming, provided details about the move on Tuesday during a signing ceremony for the project with Hutchison Property Group.
The new venue, Sunbeam Whampoa, will take over the site of the recently closed GH Whampoa cinema in Hung Hom. It is set to reopen in June or July.
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Li, a Cantonese opera impresario and composer, said the theatre would carry on the cinema’s legacy by establishing itself as a new cultural landmark for entertainment and film.
He said Sunbeam Whampoa would host live performances of Cantonese opera excerpts. It will also screen Cantonese opera films and regular movies.
Li said 10 Cantonese opera films were currently in production, each running around 3½ hours, which would allow audiences to appreciate the expressions and movements of the performers.
The closure of the original Sunbeam Theatre, located inside Kiu Fai Mansion in North Point, marked the end of an era for many fans who had enjoyed decades of full-house performances.
The venue opened in 1972 and faced several threats of closure over the years. In 2005, the venue owner had plans to turn it into a shopping centre. Worries emerged again in 2009 and 2012 before the current operator saved the venue by agreeing to pay a higher rent to the landlord.
Christian church Island ECC acquired several floors of Kiu Fai Mansion for HK$750 million (US$95.8 million) in February last year.
Li praised Whampoa’s prime location and infrastructure, highlighting its proximity to an MTR station, ample parking spaces and diverse dining options. He called the area a perfect site for the new cultural venue.
The GH Whampoa cinema, which opened in 2009 as part of the Golden Harvest cinema chain, featured four theatres with a combined 1,200 seats.
It officially closed on April 10 upon the expiration of its lease.
Li also revealed plans to transform one of the rooms into a “little Hong Kong Coliseum”, where smaller-scale concerts and performances could be held for local and emerging talent.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Crowds swell as Hong Kong’s Sunbeam Theatre turns off lights after 52 years
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