13/06/2026
利舞臺的法式印記
銅鑼灣波斯富街與霎東街交界，如今是一幢廿多層高的利舞台廣場，玻璃幕牆映著來往的人潮。三十多年前，這裡曾是利舞臺戲院。
1925年，利希慎為方便母親欣賞粵劇，在利園山腳斥資興建這座戲院，請來一位法國工程師，以十九世紀末法國與意大利歌劇院為藍本。這座戲院的靈感，來自巴黎歌劇院。
建於1862至1875年的巴黎歌劇院，由法國建築師Charles Garnier設計，是一座折衷主義的混搭建築——羅馬的三角頂、巴洛克的大開窗、意大利式的連拱門洞、希臘的愛奧尼亞柱，建築風格的拼貼，全都收在同一屋簷下，是十九世紀歌劇院的巔峰之作。
利舞臺的設計，處處可見巴黎歌劇院的影子。它採用新古典主義風格，外牆以深灰色麻石砌成，羅馬柱與窗戶相間。正門上方建有小塔，側面伸出簷蓬，讓人想起巴黎大道的騎樓底。戲院地基呈三角形，在四周密集樓宇的烘托下，反而更顯出歐洲歌劇院的獨特氣派。推門進去，圓拱形的天花繪着以金箔裝飾的九條金龍，舞台頂層刻着丹鳳朝陽，下層雕着二龍爭珠——法國的建築語言與東方的裝飾符號，在同一屋簷下並存。舞台兩旁掛着一副對聯：「利擅東南萬國衣冠臨勝地，舞徵詔護滿台簫管奏鈞天」。
最令人驚歎的是它的旋轉舞台，可以三百六十度旋轉，自動轉換布景，在當時的香港前所未見。這項技術，源自歐洲劇場的傳統，早在十七世紀，法國歌劇院已開始探索機械化舞台；鋼鐵工業的普及，更讓舞台機械從笨重的木製系統，進化為輕巧堅固的金屬結構，使場景轉換不再需要拉布幕，而是整個舞台緩緩轉動，樂師不必停，觀眾不必等。
利舞臺不僅演粵劇，也放電影。1938年，新馬師曾在這裡唱《貂蟬》；1941年，梅蘭芳促成卓別林的《大獨裁者》在這裡首映，成為首部在華人經營戲院放映的美國大片。後來，利舞臺逐漸成為香港的娛樂心臟。1973年，第一屆香港小姐競選在這裡舉行；1976年，環球小姐競選也在這裡登場。同年，羅文在這裡舉行香港首個個人演唱會，唱《小李飛刀》，唱《獅子山下》；1976至1981年間，鄧麗君五度在此開唱，歌聲從銅鑼灣飄向整個東南亞；1982年，十八歲的梅艷芳在新秀歌唱大賽中唱《風的季節》，評判黃霑給她滿分。她從利舞臺出發，走向更遠的星途。
時光流轉，光影散聚。1991年，利舞台結束歷史使命，原址四年後建成廣場，利舞臺不在了，但並沒有消失。當年驚艷世人的圓拱天頂，也以全新姿態揉合在廣場的高層中庭，映照著新時代的繁華。法籍建築師與工程師在香港留下的伯大尼修院、納匝肋修院以及法國外方傳道會大樓，散落在港島各處，涵蓋文娛、宗教、教育、行政等多個領域，隱隱勾勒出早期香港城市面貌中優雅的法式建築脈絡。
The French Imprint of Lee Theatre
At the junction of Percival Street and Sharp Street East in Causeway Bay now stands the twenty‑something‑storey Lee Theatre Plaza, its glass curtain wall reflecting the endless stream of passers‑by. Thirty years ago, this was the site of the Lee Theatre.
In 1925, Lee Hysan funded the construction of this theatre at the foot of Lee Garden Hill so that his mother could enjoy Cantonese opera. He engaged a French engineer and took the late‑19th‑century opera houses of France and Italy as his model. The inspiration was the Palais Garnier in Paris.
Built between 1862 and 1875, the Palais Garnier was designed by the French architect Charles Garnier. It is an eclectic assembly, a Roman pediment, large Baroque windows, Italian arcaded loggias and Greek Ionic columns, all gathered under one roof. It stands as one of the supreme achievements of the 19th‑century opera house.
The design of the Lee Theatre shows the influence of the Palais Garnier at every turn. It was built in a Neoclassical style, with a dark grey granite façade, alternating Roman columns and windows. A small turret rises above the main entrance, and the side canopies recall the arcaded sidewalks of Parisian boulevards. The triangular footprint of the building, surrounded by dense tenements, only emphasised its distinctive European opera‑house presence. Inside, the arched ceiling was painted with nine golden dragons highlighted in gold leaf; the top of the stage was carved with a phoenix facing the sun, the lower tier with two dragons chasing a pearl – French architectural language and Eastern decorative motifs coexisting under one roof. Flanking the stage hung a couplet.
What amazed contemporaries most was its revolving stage, capable of a full 360‑degree rotation and automatic scene changes, something never seen before in Hong Kong. This technology came from the European theatrical tradition. As early as the 17th century, French opera houses had begun to experiment with mechanised stages. The spread of the steel industry turned heavy wooden stage machinery into light, strong metal structures, so that scene changes no longer required dropping a curtain – the whole stage turned slowly, the orchestra did not have to pause, and the audience did not have to wait.
The Lee Theatre presented not only Cantonese opera but also films. In 1938, Sun Ma Sze Tsang performed Diao Chan here. In 1941, Mei Lanfang arranged the Hong Kong premiere of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator at the Lee Theatre – the first American feature film to be shown in a Chinese‑owned theatre in Hong Kong. In time, the Lee Theatre became the heart of Hong Kong's entertainment industry. In 1973, the first Miss Hong Kong pageant was held here; in 1976, the Miss Universe pageant also took place on its stage. That same year, Roman Tam gave his solo concert here, the first pop solo concert in Hong Kong, singing "The Little Flying Dagger" and "Below the Lion Rock". Between 1976 and 1981, Teresa Teng performed here five times; her voice drifted from Causeway Bay across Southeast Asia. In 1982, the 18‑year‑old Anita Mui sang Paula Tsui's "Season of the Wind" at the first New Talent Singing Awards here, and judge James Wong gave her full marks. She set out from the Lee Theatre towards a brilliant career.
Time flows on; light and shadow disperse. In 1991, the Lee Theatre ended its historic mission. The site was redeveloped into a plaza four years later. The theatre is gone, but not completely disappeared. The celebrated arched dome now reappears in a new form within the plaza's upper atrium, reflecting the prosperity of a new era. French architects and engineers who left their mark on Hong Kong—Bethanie, Nazareth Seminary and Press, the French Mission Building—dotted Hong Kong Island across entertainment, religion, education and administration, quietly sketching out an elegant French architectural thread in the city's early urban fabric.
