West Kowloon Cultural District｜Hong Kong Arts Festival Jockey Club East-meets-West Series 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Description

Jules Verne's timeless sci-fi classic brought to life on a magical stage

Climb aboard the incredible submarine the Nautilus—part technological marvel, part deep-sea monster—on a voyage of discovery to the deep blue sea! When Professor Pierre Aronnax and harpoonist Ned Land join an expedition to hunt a fierce “whale” that has been sinking ships, they end up as captives of Captain Nemo, who prowls the sea in his magnificent submarine, the Nautilus. With Captain Nemo at the helm, they discover a mysterious, and sometimes dangerous underwater world, a place teeming with spider crabs, lantern-fish, jellyfish, giant octopuses and many other wonderful creatures.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a world classic of fantasy literature by Jules Verne (also the author of Around the World in Eighty Days) and one of the most translated novels in the world. The prestigious theatre company Comédie-Française first staged the show in 2015 as a comedy exploring themes of adventure, humanity and scientific utopia, fusing magical illusionist blacklight theatre puppetry to widespread critical acclaim, earning the Molière Award for Best Visual and Sound Design.

In the world premiere of the Putonghua adaptation commissioned by the 2025 HKAF, the masterminds from France will collaborate with top-notch Chinese theatre artists to create a new rendition of the literary classic. Keep an eye out for the mythical Chinese sea creatures floating in this deep, dark world!