Hong Kong’s Sunbeam Theatre finds new home, set to reopen as soon as mid-June

Beloved Cantonese opera venue Sunbeam Theatre, which closed down in North Point last month, has found a new home across the harbour in Hong Kong and is set to reopen as soon as mid-June.

The theatre’s chairman, Edward Li Kui-ming, provided details about the move on Tuesday during a signing ceremony for the project with Hutchison Property Group.

The new venue, Sunbeam Whampoa, will take over the site of the recently closed GH Whampoa cinema in Hung Hom. It is set to reopen in June or July.

Li, a Cantonese opera impresario and composer, said the theatre would carry on the cinema’s legacy by establishing itself as a new cultural landmark for entertainment and film.

He said Sunbeam Whampoa would host live performances of Cantonese opera excerpts. It will also screen Cantonese opera films and regular movies.

Edward Li says 10 Cantonese opera films are in production and will be shown at the new venue. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Li said 10 Cantonese opera films were currently in production, each running around 3½ hours, which would allow audiences to appreciate the expressions and movements of the performers.