Leslie Cheung and Danny Chan, the late Hong Kong’s cantopop heartthrobs who had their hey-day in the 1980s, will be honored in a Cantonese musical next week.

    “Dying Young,” directed by Clifton Ko, traces the life story of Leslie and Danny, as seen through the eyes of their mutual friend, Paul Chung. The show will give Shenzhen audiences the chance to hear more than 40 of Leslie and Danny’s greatest hits.

    The leading actors include Edgar Chan, Mike Wong and Jam Cheng. All of them are gifted young performers who graduated from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. In the musical, Edgar Chan plays Danny, Mike Wong plays Leslie, and Jam Cheng plays Paul.

    In the musical, the fictional Leslie, Danny and Paul are three friends determined to make a career of music. Brimming with musical talent, Danny wins respect as an all-round singer soon after making his debut. Paul becomes a DJ unexpectedly. But Leslie’s future seems less promising. However, he persists in trying to win acclaim in pop music circles. Their personal flaws and inexperience plunged them into chaos when success in life and career finally arrives. They all struggle to keep their feet on the ground, and are too proud to seek help from each other. As a result, Paul sinks deep into gambling debt. Disappointed by the reality of his new lifestyle, Danny turns to drug abuse. And Leslie has his own demons to face.

    Paul Chung (1959-1989) was a radio host before he became a TV actor in 1981. Many reports said he had a lot of gambling debts before his suicide. Leslie Cheung (1956-2003) combined a hugely successful film and music career. He left a suicide note saying that he had been suffering from depression. Danny Chan (1958-1993) was of the first generation of pop idols in Hong Kong. There was speculation in the late 1980s that Chan suffered from alcoholism as it was unfairly perceived in the press that his career lagged behind that of then Hong Kong cantopop superstars. There were rumors that he had consumed a mixture of alcohol and drugs which led to his coma.

    Time: 8 p.m., March 31

    Tickets: 101-401 yuan

    Reservations: 11185

    Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

    (Tan Yaoquan)