Poon Wai Sum: The Two-Handed—The Diary of Song, Confrontations

Celebrated for his dramatic wizardry, playwright Poon Wai Sum struts his stuff with The Diary of Song and Confrontations, of which he was both writer and director in their world premieres at the HKRep. The Diary of Song spins a witty tale of the Water Margin icon, Wu Song, focusing on his humdrum life despite having killed a tiger. Confrontations chronicles the love and pathos of a family headed by Matriarch Pang, where the intimations of three generations at loggerheads and changing times are discernible through surrealistic imageries.
 
 
 
Poon’s unique language and theatrical aesthetics are found in his mix of humour with absurd, using laughter to dissipate vexations, employing simple items such as a Chinese pancake and lotus root cake as keys to navigating the complex world of Jianghu.