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Born and raised in northwest England, McAlister says she doesn't really feel British anymore, having lived in Hong Kong for most of her life. In 1993 she established the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (HKYAF). "Hong Kong is home," she affirms. "Mou Man Tai is very much a love letter to Hong Kong from me."

McAlister spent two weeks in the UK working on the project with her longtime collaborator - and an HKYAF alum - the BAFTA- and Emmy-Award-winning composer Nick Harvey. The fact that they wrote the music for Mou Man Tai in such a short time is something the director credits to their easy working relationship as well as her own tendency not to overthink things. "I have no thoughts. Everything comes from my gut and my heart," she says.

A concept musical - the concept being Hong Kong's legendary can-do spirit - Mou Man Tai will depict snapshots of life in the city that are sure to strike a chord with residents. A cast of 33 office workers, many of them first-time performers, will portray such archetypal characters as the tiger mom, feng shui master and super tutor, and bring to life scenes such as a raucous night out in the Lan Kwai Fong bar and restaurant area.