Opening Night: Office

Master director Johnnie To, best known for his action and melodramatic extravaganzas, expands his genre repertoire with this musical about corporate corruption and intrigue featuring superstars Chow Yun-fat and Sylvia Chang and presented in spectacular 3-D. Adapted from Ms. Chang’s hit stage play Design for Living, Office is set amidst the initial public offering on a billion-dollar company in the wake of the global financial collapse of 2008. The company, run by CEO Miss Chang (Sylvia Chang) and guided behind the scenes by finance wizard and Chang’s mentor Ho Chung-ping (Chow Yun-fat), is poised to make the executives millions. But, as the company goes through an audit, the depth and ingenuity of their corrupt practices begins to come to light, threatening to derail the execs’ plans. With witty and flashy musical interludes and an attractive array of characters, Office entertains while presenting a timely critique of corporate capitalism and posing deeper questions about the status of wealth and labor.