Hong Kong’s first WestK Cabaret Festival, which kicks off tomorrow, promises to regale spectators with a range of captivating shows featuring songs, dance, and personal stories, performed across a diverse array of spaces at the Xiqu Centre. The inaugural edition brings together internationally known headliners as well as an impressive variety of local talent.
“We are honored to present the incredible Broadway diva Patti LuPone in an exclusive concert, A Life in Notes,” says Susanna Yu, producer, performing arts (special projects) at WestK.
Other marquee names include Irish-Australian tap-dance legend, Bobby Fox, who appears in Mr. Entertainment. Also, an 18-strong group of artists from Paradis Latin, a Parisian theater founded in 1889, is making its Hong Kong debut.
While putting together such a stellar lineup is no mean feat, Yu and her team were simultaneously grooming the featured Hong Kong artists, building a dedicated audience, and “testing the waters”. “Now that the ecosystem is primed, we are ready to launch a full-scale, international festival,” she says.
All Hong Kong artists are bilingual, performing in both Cantonese and English, and had a chance to fine-tune their craft at WestK Cabaret Nights, a series featuring 30 performances that ran from May 2025 to March. The festival is a chance to showcase “this extraordinary local lineup that has delivered significant, well-received performances” on an international platform.
Actor-singer Crisel Consunji has teamed up with fellow singer MsLolo. “I can’t resist the beauty of their voices,” remarks Yu, who created the show Beyond Fairytales, featuring classic numbers from musicals and children’s songs for the duo. Actor-playwright Jim Hui and singer-songwriter Ng Yui-man are also presenting a double act, featuring songs, comedy and reminiscences, titled Lie-down Comedy.
Cantopop legacy
“In our story, set in 3026, the Grand Theatre of Xiqu Centre has become an abandoned space,” says singer-actor Alex Lam of the piece, 3026: A Cantopop Odyssey, for which he provided the concept and also plays the protagonist. “Artificial intelligence has canceled all forms of art, including music. Yet my character finds that the energy in that space somehow activates his connection to music, youth, family, and ultimately meaning in life.”
The show serves as Lam’s personal tribute to Cantopop heritage, particularly to its golden age in the ’80s, which saw his father, George Lam Tsz-cheung, play a prominent role. “We rediscover Cantopop classics while connecting them to my upbringing and the Hong Kong collective consciousness,” he says.
Alex Lam is collaborating with music director Jerold Chu and stage director Eugene Ma. “Together, we’ve found an earthy, soulful sound with jazz influences. It feels very acoustic and is primarily driven by the human touch.”
He adds that he often finds the essence of his father’s legacy reflected in his music. “He has left me an immeasurable treasure in the form of his songbook, which I find deeply inspiring.”
Power of the personal
The festival’s main draw is the chance to hear artists share personal stories in intimate settings. “In Hong Kong, we are reimagining cabaret by breaking the fourth wall and fostering genuine connections in intimate spaces,” Yu says.
She adds that the WestK Cabaret Nights series might have inspired a number of Hong Kong singers to weave in a degree of storytelling into their acts, presented “in a cabaret-style setting”.
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“WestK embraces this transformation and the interdisciplinary crossover it represents.”
In addition to the ticketed shows, the festival also features various free events, including dance parties with swing, Latin, flamenco, and hip-hop, as well as circus as part of the Happy Hour @ Atrium series.
If you go
WestK Cabaret Festival 2026
Dates: Saturday through June 7
Venue: Grand Theatre, Tea House Theatre, Atrium, and studios at Xiqu Centre, 88 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
www.westk.hk/en/event/cabaret-festival
The writer is a freelance contributor to China Daily.
