As we pulled back the red velvet curtains of K11 Musea’s Yè Shanghai restaurant, we were instantly transported to the heyday of the now-defunct State Theatre in North Point. Here in this movie and live entertainment palace that opened in 1952, spinning disco balls cast dazzling colours onto guests’ glamourous suits, gowns and qipaos. The smell of barbecued squid drew visitors to the restaurant’s balcony, where they could also snack on egg waffles and sip sugarcane-juice-infused cocktails before showtime.
Then the lights dimmed and guests took their seats in front of exquisitely presented seafood dishes. Dancers in sparkly tuxedos, floaty ballroom dance dresses and samba costumes adorned with bright orange feathers stepped out from backstage, and showed off their best swing, Latin and ballroom-dance moves right next to the tables, as guests cheered and clapped along to Elvis Presley and Beatles songs, upbeat Canto-pop numbers by Leslie Cheung, and iconic wuxia film theme tunes.
The occasion was, an immersive theatre experience which took place at the K11 venue from November to December 2022, one of several similar events in the city in recent memory. In the past few years, hotels, restaurants, art spaces and theatre groups have been offering and hosting these shows in various formats: musicals, dance shows or plays
