'The Chair' triggers a farce in a Beijing Hutong
Beijing-style comedy "The Chair" will make its Shanghai debut at Pudong's Shanghai Oriental Art Center on March 3.
Starring veteran actor Zhang Tielin, who is also the playwright and director of the play, "The Chair" centers on a group of Beijing Hutong (traditional Beijing courtyard residences) residents in the 1990s.
Zhang plays the lead role of Ye, who is a retired proof reader of a publishing house. Ye buys a chair from an antique store as a sustenance of his respectable past. The chair triggers a series of incidents and troubles, involving a counterfeit antique expert and an ill-disposed reporter.
Beijing-style comedy "The Chair" will be making its Shanghai debut.
Audiences will find that Ye is lost in today's fast-paced life and longs for recognition and respect from society, while other characters make decisions and choices for their own benefit, interest and desires.
According to Zhang, the play showcases the helplessness and distortion of people in the lower social class with black humor, inviting audiences to think about the ways of the world and people's values.
Apart from Zhang, the play boasts a group of experienced actors like Liu Jinshan and Li Qinqin, whose performances give a strong Beijing flavor to the show. Stand-up comedian Xiao Bei will also take part in the Shanghai performance.
The play stars veteran actor Zhang Tielin (center) and stand-up comedy performer Xiao Bei (left).
Performance info:
Date: March 3-5, 7:15pm
Tickets: 280-880 yuan
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center 上海东方艺术中心
Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd, the Pudong New Area 丁香路425号
