HONG KONG ¨C In a Cantonese opera inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump, a Chinese actor donning a blond wig spars on a Hong Kong stage with a man playing a double of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ¡ª ridiculing his outfit and firing a water gun at him.
The sold-out show, ¡°Trump, The Twins President,¡± was performed in the territory¡¯s Xiqu Theatre as Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held an hour-long call on Thursday.
Written by Edward Li, a Feng Shui master-turned-Cantonese opera playwright, the comedy made its Hong Kong debut in 2019. The 3?-hour show has been through several iterations since, with the latest version featuring Trump¡¯s attempted assassination and his quarrel with Zelenskyy in the White House.
Cantonese opera is a centuries-old Chinese art form that blends singing, acting, martial arts, and elaborate costumes, and is traditionally performed during special occasions.
Li¡¯s latest production begins with a dream by Trump¡¯s daughter, Ivanka, in which her father has a twin brother named Chuan Pu, living in China. When Trump is kidnapped by aliens from Mars, Ivanka asks Chuan to pretend to be Trump for a day.
In another act, Trump has a dramatic fight with Zelenskyy¡¯s presidential double over his clothing in the White House, and shoots him with a water gun from Chinese online shopping site Taobao while Zelenskyy pretends to have been shot.
The actors perform against a backdrop of photos from the actual events.
Li said he chose Trump as the main character because his tariffs and policies had affected everyone¡¯s daily life.
¡°I think this opera is quite a special medicine for the whole world,¡± Li said. ¡°If people see this opera they will feel very happy because they think of love and peace.¡±
Cantonese opera actor Lung Koon-tin, who portrayed Trump, said the U.S. president was unique.
¡°He increased tariffs and made the whole world speak out.¡±
Lung said China and the U.S. should be good friends.
¡°We are Chinese and he is American, but friendship always lives long. That¡¯s why we talk about Sino-U.S. friendship in the play.¡±
The audience erupted in laughter throughout the performance, breaking into enthusiastic applause at the end.
Many of them were younger people, including 28-year-old Thomas Lo.
He said that modern youth often felt disconnected from traditional Cantonese opera but the Trump-themed show, infused with contemporary events, offered a refreshing twist.
¡°It¡¯s fun and really something special,¡± Lo said.
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