Stan Lai's signature play on longest national tour
Famed theater director and playwright Stan Lai's signature play "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land" kicks off its national tour this week, with over 30 performances in 14 cities through June.
Regarded one of the most famous in modern Chinese-language theater production, the original version of the play debuted in 1986, and gradually developed three versions.
The version to be taken on tour was born in Shanghai in 2017, starring young and promising actors of Theater Above – Lai's base in Shanghai.
"Shanghai is my home ground," said Lai. "When these young actors got recruited by Theater Above after graduation, they could hardly master this play. With so many years of growth and life experience collection, they are very mature actors by now."
He added: "If we were a basketball team, these Theater Above actors are my main players, like LeBron James. They are capable of staging high quality performances for audiences around the country."
Stan Lai (center) and representatives of theaters around the country launch the tour of Lai's "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land."
This will be the longest national tour of Lai's work. Apart from major cities Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Xi'an, the play will also visit relatively remote cities and provinces, including Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital.
"Some of these theaters in the tour are really far. We want to present this performance as a gift for those audiences," said Lai.
"Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land" tells the story of two theater groups mistakenly booked into the same theater for rehearsals. One is performing serious contemporary drama "Secret Love" while the other is performing the farce "In Peach Blossom Land." Amid the chaos, the two plays begin to intertwine with a blend of modern realism and Peking Opera.
"Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land" tells the story of two theater groups mistakenly booked into the same theater.
Apart from its popularity with audiences, the play is also a regular choice for numerous amateur theater groups.
"I created this play at the age of 31," said Lai. "It features a playful spirit, as well as seriousness and idealism. It's hard to sum up its charm and the reason behind its popularity. But I know that it was many audiences' first theater experience. They walked out of the theater and realized that a stage work can be fun and inspiring like this."
The play stars actors from Lai's Theater Above in Shanghai.
The Theater Above version of the play completed its latest round of performances in Shanghai earlier this month. The tour starts in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on March 30. All tickets for the four performances in Chengdu are already sold out.
Log on to Theater Above's website www.theatreabove.com or follow its Weibo account for more information about the play and the tour.
