Long-lost childhood memories are brought back by traditional puppets in this heart-warming performance. The tale of a small puppet and other animals performing in a circus is filled with childlike innocence and abundant love. The folk art requires excellence in art and crafts in both performing the puppetry and making of puppets, while shadow plays relies on a masterful and nuanced understanding of the interplay of light and darkness.

Under the wizard-like artistry of Wong Fai, the cartoon characters come to life on stage through brilliant performances of traditional shadow puppetry. Enjoyed immensely by children and adults alike, Happy Childhood Memories encourages the audience to cherish and experience again the childhood memories which might have been gradually forgotten.

Zhong Kui, widely known as the legendary ghost hunter, is frustrated about the unfair treatment he received due to his facial features. Assisted by the White Bone Spirit, a shape-shifting demoness who ended up in hell when she resisted her abusers, Zhong Kui catches a ride on a drone and leaves the hell of ancient times. He is now among us as a computer specialist behind a screen, becoming an expert who catches bots and viruses.

“Zhong Kui and the Reform of Hell” draws a connection between storytelling and handheld devices. With the physical presence of the puppeteers in bringing ancient characters to life, eteam reveals the mechanics of how stories and news media are created. Once a viewer is drawn into the story, however, these mechanics seem to disappear. The suspension of disbelief hovers in a state of fluctuation, leading one to wonder: who is human, who is ghostly, who is artificial, who is controlled, who is operating behind, who has a soul and who has personality: the operators, the puppets, the technological devices, or the systems that keep them in check?