‘In Good Hands’ attracts participative audience to salon

“In Good Hands”

An interactive performance of music and storytelling was presented to local audiences over the weekend as part of the 16th Macao Fringe Festival.

Performed by two Irish actresses and singers, “In Good Hands” celebrates the rituals of hairdressing – of secrets, of trust and of the human need to share and connect.

Held for two days at a local salon located at Rua de Bruxelas, the second show was attended by nearly two dozen local residents.

The play featured songs and ongoing personal dialogue between Julie, a salon owner (played by actress Catherine Ireton), and her frequent customer Lisa (played by Grace Kiely).

Over time, they exchange information on their personal lives and the drama surrounding other clients in the salon. The play signifies a unique and personal relationship between women and their hairdresser.

In explaining the concept of the show to the Times, Ireton said the show was inspired by a thought that salons are a place of natural drama – where eavesdropping, story-telling and advice from hairdressers is common.

“We’re from the other side of the world and yet the ritual is the exact same,” explained Ireton when asked about bringing the Irish show to Macau.

“It can be seen as quite a shallow industry but also there’s also a [plot] to it and that’s something that we value. We also look at how we can make it feel like an experience everyone is familiar with,” Ireton added.

The show involves some audience participation, with local audience members playing the parts of a hairdresser trainee and salon clients.

“We wanted to involve people as much as possible and allow them to feel that they’re part of the action,” said Ireton.

Written by Ireton and Kiely, the two actresses noted that, as there are several audience interactions, it remains a challenge to improvise to and invent new lines when an audience member asks a question.

Yet, the duo said they have familiarized the structure of the show, thus knowing certain points they have to hit in the play.

The 60-minute performance also plays an Irish radio broadcast in the background to create the vibe of an Irish salon.

Performed for the first time in Asia, the show has been touring in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“It’s a type of show that is suited to a festival because it has that unusual kind of quirky vibe,” remarked Ireton.

Meanwhile, according to the duo, they have seen very participative audiences in the territory, adding that it was surprising to see how active the local audience could be.

“We didn’t know what to expect at all, in terms of the amount they would understand. […] There were people last night [and] they were just responding to all the little kind of jokes that I felt were particularly Irish,” said Kiely.

The 16th Macao City Fringe Festival presented “In Good Hands” on Saturday and two shows on Sunday.

Farnham Maltings and Cork Midsummer Festival originally commissioned the play as a site- specific theater piece designed to reach new audiences.

Fringe Festival intends to be a ‘feast of creativity’

The 16TH Macao City Fringe Festival, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and co- organized by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, is being held from January 13 to 22. This edition of the festival, uses “A Feast of Creativity! Bon Appétit!” as a slogan and features artists from local and foreign parts of the world. According to a statement from the IC, tickets for the shows such as “Mobile Kitchen,” “Funeral for the Living”, “The Smooth Life,” “Bubble” and “The Other Side of the Sacred,” among others, are sold out.