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Enid Tsui

Billed as a maverick hybrid of Cantonese opera and contemporary political satire, Trump on Show returned to the stage on February 22 with up-to-date references that included the US Supreme Court’s ruling against US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs just days prior.
The fourth version of the show, first created by feng shui master Edward Li Kui-ming in 2019, opened on the sixth day of the Year of the Horse and sold out quickly as a holiday blockbuster.
It brings on board comedy actress Elvina Kong Yan-yin as both Trump’s daughter Ivanka and “Young Vegetable in the Market” – a Chinese pun for the controversial Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi.
Unfortunately, this four-hour marathon of historical trivia and outlandish fantasy is disappointingly short on laughs. Instead, it is an exhausting political polemic that is oddly sincere.

The plot lurches from 1972, when a young Donald Trump supposedly accompanied then US president Richard Nixon to Beijing, to the present day, where Trump is abducted by aliens from Area 51.
The central “twist” involves Trump’s fictional identical twin brother, who grew up in China and works as a caretaker at a crematorium where Liu Shaoqi, a critic of Chinese leader Mao Zedong, meets his end.
On February 22, when the video projection showed “Twin Trump” sliding Liu’s corpse into a roaring furnace, the audience let out audible “wahs” at the inauspicious imagery selected by Master Li – normally an arbiter of lucky activities.
Beneath the madness and insipid pleas for Sino-US peace – it is painfully clear, very early on, that this is the show’s objective – lies an undeniably serious artistic effort.

Li, a dedicated champion of Cantonese opera, has penned a classically grounded libretto that reflects deep respect for the genre. However, the endless musings on the state of China in four of the six scenes often drown out any comedic pretence.
Young star Kwok Kai-fai brings much-needed relief as a clownish Nixon and a scat-singing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while Lung Koon-tin is impressively versatile as both Trumps and Mao. However, Lung’s Trump is curiously anaemic: a laddish caricature – who spars with Ukrainian President “Fatlensky” in the White House – that stops short of a true lampoon.
The production’s edge is further blemished by the cheap laughs at the expense of politicians Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris and Takaichi, who are repeatedly referred to by Trump as “ugly women”, his chauvinistic wrath failing to convert into a parody of sexism given Lung’s sympathetic portrayal of the American president.
Meanwhile, Kong manages to show off her impressive vocal range, albeit as a rather stilted Ivanka Trump and Takaichi. And Chan Wing-yee’s Jiang Qing, the wife of Mao, is a surprisingly reserved portrayal of one of the most hated modern historical figures.

Ultimately, Trump on Show 4.0 is a chaotic reflection of our increasingly incoherent 2026 reality. The final act sees “Twin Trump” revived by an alien pill and migrating to Hong Kong through the top talent scheme. The punchline – that his “talent” of shovelling panda manure is much needed by the Hong Kong government – is a rare moment of genuine satire.
Yet, as the play concludes with officials greeting the new arrival with lavish gifts in their “blessed” city, the production shows that it is, as the Chinese describe America in the show, a “paper tiger” with no bite.
Trump on Show, Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium, February 22-25, 2026. Reviewed: February 22.


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Elvina Kong (left) performs as Japanese politician Sanae Takaichi and Lung Koon-tin as US president Donald Trump on the opening night of the Trump on Show 4.0 at Sha Tin Town Hall in Hong Kong. Photo: Contemporary Drama Association

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Elvina Kong as Ivanka Trump in Trump on Show 4.0. Photo: Contemporary Drama Association

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Lifestyle

Arts

Showing in Hong Kong, Trump on Show 4.0 combines political satire and surreal Sino-US commentary but feels like a ‘paper tiger’ with no bite


Showing in Hong Kong, Trump on Show 4.0 combines political satire and surreal Sino-US commentary but feels like a ‘paper tiger’ with no bite.


World of performing arts

Chinese culture

Lunar New Year

Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump

Richard Nixon

Kamala Harris

Kim Jong-un

Sanae Takaichi

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Showing in Hong Kong, Trump on Show 4.0 combines political satire and surreal Sino-US commentary but feels like a ‘paper tiger’ with no bite

Showing in Hong Kong, Trump on Show 4.0 combines political satire and surreal Sino-US commentary but feels like a ‘paper tiger’ with no bite