Limelight Years (Chinese: 華麗轉身; Jyutping: Waa4 Lai6 Zyun2 San1; Cantonese Yale: Wàh Laih Jyún Sān; literally "Elegant Transformation") is a 2015 Hong Kong romantic television drama created and produced by TVB, starring Linda Chung, Liza Wang, Alex Fong, Damian Lau and Eliza Sam as the main cast.[1] Filming took place from June till September 2014. The drama began airing on Hong Kong's Jade and HD Jade channels April 27 till May 22, 2015 every Monday through Friday during its 8:30-9:30 pm timeslot with a total of 22 episodes. The final 2 episodes aired on the same night as a 2-hour finale special on Sunday May 24, 2015 starting at 8:00 pm.[2]
This is the third time Wang and Lau have collaborated playing a couple. The two previously worked together in TVB's 1980 Yesterday's Glitter (京華春夢) and 2001 The Awakening Story (婚前昏後)[3]
This is Alex Fong's first drama with TVB in nine years. His last collaboration with TVB was in 2005 My Family (甜孫爺爺).[4]
Synopsis
After recovering from a long term illness, semi-retired popular singer Wah Fong Ying (Liza Wang) realizes that she has lived an unfulfilled life. With two failed marriages and estranged relationships with all of her children, she lives a lonely life. Wanting to mend her relationship with her oldest daughter, Lancy who resides in Taiwan, she travels there and meets Hong Kong photographer Ben Law (Damian Lau), whose wife was a fan of hers. Ben is in Taiwan to fulfill his late wife's wish (Michelle Yim) to have her remains returned to her ancestral home. Romance sparks between the two and soon each becomes the other's strength and support. Realizing that throughout her career she has never sung for her loved ones, Fong Ying decides to hold a last concert for her friends and family with Ben's encouragement, but her daughter Tong Yan (Eliza Sam) rejects her invitation to attend. Fong Ying proceeds to work on her concert and hires personal assistant Jinny Szeto (Linda Chung) and creative director Sean Song (Alex Fong) to help her produce the concert. Just as light seems to shine on Fong Ying again, darkness comes back into her life when Jinny finds out that Fong Ying was involved in an affair with her uncle in the past and Ben starts to suffer from hallucinations due to a brain tumor.[5][6]
TVB 2015 calendar, June image. From top to bottom: Liza Wang, Damian Lau, Alex Fong and Linda Chung.
A promotional image of Limelight Years was featured in TVB's 2015 calendar for June.[7]
The costume fitting ceremony was held on May 27, 2014, at Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio One.[8]
Original overseas shooting was supposed to take place in Vietnam; due to Vietnam's anti-Chinese protests in 2014, overseas shooting was moved to Taiwan.[9]
The blessing ceremony took place on June 3, 2014, 12:30 pm at Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio One Parking Lot.[10][11]
Filming of the drama began in June 2014 and ended in September 2014. Shooting of Taiwan scenes took place in late August and early September 2014.[12]
Limelight Years was one of the dramas previewed at "TVB Sales Presentation 2015" held in November 2014.[13]
