I was back next day to St Giles for another recital by the same pianist but this time as accompanist in a programme of songs called From Havana to BA.  Enjoyable, though I preferred the previous day.

The Free Fringe promised a programme of songs under the title Nostalgie taking us back to the cafes of Paris, to Piaf and Greco, very much a genre close to my heart.  When I got to the pub basement venue a magic show for kids had replaced the chansons.  Softening my disappointment with a G&T I watched.  The kids' reactions were more magic than the tricks but I didn't stay long.

Chechov's The Bear is re-titled The Boor in the Shanghai Theatre Academy's version but sticks faithfully to the story of a man demanding payment from a young widow of her late husband's debt to him, their arguments, their duel, the growth of mutual affection and the eventual happy ending.  It's done in what I'm told is Peking Opera style which fits very well since the play is essentially a farce and demands broad comedic playing.

It gets that in spades from the melodramatic fluttering of the heroine to the swaggering bravado of the hero and the athletic backflip of the servant.  He spends most of his time running around in a crouched position which I couldn't keep up for thirty seconds but he's clearly a fit young chap behind the white beard and oversized paunch of his costume.  Costumes and makeup are gorgeous.

There are a couple of puppeteers as well who provide a preface and epilogue as well as saying something at another point or two in the action.  The sub-titles were awkwardly placed so I'm not at all sure what they were telling us.

The dialogue is mostly sung in somewhat unattractively shrill tones matched by accompanying live music from strings and percussion.  All a bit loud for my taste.  I liked what I saw more than what I heard but the audience (at least 90% Chinese) loved it all.