SARAH KARACS
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 27 August, 2015, 11:48pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 27 August, 2015, 11:48pm
Allan Zeman at the piano in housewife disguise Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Dressed as a housewife in wig and rollers, the flamboyant "father of Lan Kwai Fong" Allan Zeman on Thursday showed off his newly acquired though rudimentary piano skills in an unlikely arena: a wet market in busy Yau Ma Tei.
Zeman wowed local crowds with his performance of a simple ditty alongside pianist Nancy Lo, playing on a piano installed as part of the project to bring musical experiences to streets across the world.
"This is my first time playing in public, but I'm not nervous," said Zeman, a real trouper wearing heaps of blusher. His performance drew a crowd of around 30 bemused onlookers in the heart of Kowloon.
"I wanted to help bring happiness to Hong Kong. Music brings people together, so I learned this piece to do that," he added.
Zeman performed on one of the 1,400 street pianos that have been installed in public spaces such as bus shelters, parks and ferries in almost 50 cities as part of British artist Luke Jerram's project.
The brightly decorated pianos are intended to encourage members of the public to take ownership of and enjoy their urban environments. "Allan is quite a hidden talent," said Jerram, who attended yesterday's event and expressed amazement at the atmosphere of the wet market.
Sixteen pianos decorated by local artists have been installed across Hong Kong until the end of the month.
South African tourist Andrew Smith, who was in Yau Ma Tei, said: "I was just walking by and I saw this piano. It's awesome, and this is such an interesting neighbourhood. I just hope the piano won't get stolen!"
Iris Lee, from Tsuen Wan, said she was alerted to the event on Facebook and wanted to bring along her two sons to see for themselves. "It's a great way to encourage the arts in Hong Kong, but I am too shy to play piano in front of all these people," she said.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1853250/father-lan-kwai-fong-allan-zeman-gets-all-dressed
