Fortuna ~ HK Opera House / 華富閣戲院 ~ 香江大舞台 [1979-2010]

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Submitted by OldTimer on Tue, 2017-02-21 00:27

Current condition:

Demolished / No longer exists

Date Place completed:

1979-01-26

Date Place demolished:

2010-03-21

For simplicity, since both theatres occupied the same hall but operated in different periods, both are discussed here.

Seating capacity: 1,274. Address: 4, Wah Lok Path, Wah Fu Estate, Hong Kong.

Fortuna Theatre started operating on January 26, 1979 in the Wah Fu Estate which is a public housing estate on the southwest part of Hong Kong Island. In early 1994, the theatre was twinned with one auditorium in the stalls and the other in the balcony section of the theatre. It was temporarily closed in March 2000, and reportedly re-opened for a few days in subsequent years.

In early 2005, the theatre was re-named Hong Kong Opera House with basic stage apparatus installed in the auditorium of the former stalls.

The exterior design of the theatre building was considered impressive, and at that time, one thinking was to try to attract visitors as more and more traditional theatres in Hong Kong were closing. A local business man in the tourism industry organized tours for mainland visitors with limited success. Apparently, the idea to preserve the theatre did not receive strong local support, and there was concern about the increased local traffic.

In early 2008, the licence for operation was revoked, but the theatre resumed operation for a few days later in the same year. As of February 2010, the theatre was still licensed by the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hydiene Department (one reader's feedback). If licensing turned out not to be the factor, lack of business and the pressure to re-develop likely were main factors for its closing, which is estimated to be March 2010.

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