ReviewCCOHK’s Space Fantasy is a visual spectacle great for the whole family
What the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong’s original family musical lacked in narrative coherence, it compensated for in visual splendour
The premiere took a bold, if slightly wobbly, leap into the cosmos. And while the narrative didn’t always land, the sheer visual spectacle was hard to resist.
The story is simple enough: 10-year-old Astrid, practising a Bach partita for her school competition, encounters Fluto, an alien from Pluto who has come to Earth in search of music. Their meeting sparks a fantastical journey to outer space, where they crash a talent show called “Stars of the Cosmos”.
The plot, as one might forgive for a children’s piece, is more of a clothesline for spectacle than a tightly woven narrative. Act II’s talent-show format felt like a convenient device to showcase the array of international guest artists, and the story occasionally defies logic – how, for instance, does an alien invasion lead to an intergalactic talent show with no clear stakes? But for a show aimed at three-year-olds and up, perhaps we’re not meant to overthink it.
What Space Fantasy lacked in narrative coherence, it compensated for in visual splendour. After setting up the premise in Act I with a few sweet domestic scenes, Act II exploded into a full-scale revue. Each planet took a turn in the spotlight, with circus performers and musicians vying for the audience’s attention.
The undisputed star of the night was Gabor Vosteen (a German performer also known as The Fluteman), who plays Fluto, a mute alien who communicates solely through his recorder. Vosteen’s Act II classical music medley was a breathtaking display of showmanship: he played five recorders simultaneously (including using his nostrils!), juggled, performed magic tricks, all while tooting Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov flawlessly. He is a virtuoso and comedian rolled into one.