I would prefer not to 

At first, Bartleby was the perfect employee that was diligent, quiet and impeccable. Until one day, faced with a simple extra task, Bartleby spoke softly yet unmistakably clear: “I would prefer not to.” 

Bartleby clung tightly to the right to say “no”, even everything else slipped beyond control. From refusing to proofread documents, to rejecting all assignments; from staring endlessly at the brick wall outside the window, to refusing to leave the office, and finally, refusing even to eat. Bartleby declared the most radical freedom of all in the shrinking space.

Is this the last weapon to defend the soul, or a slow act of self‑destruction? When this silent cog chooses to stop turning, will the vast machinery of the city pause to notice this individual even for a second?

Adapted from Herman Melville’s timeless masterpiece, written in the 19th century to capture the absurdity and sorrow of ordinary lives, this story has echoed across generations. Following Les Misérables and A Tale of Two Cities, Chung Ying Theatre Company once again invites acclaimed British playwright and director Jonathan Holloway to re‑imagine and stage this Wall Street tragedy, transforming it into a desperate cry that stares directly into the struggles of the modern souls.

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