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The audience at Beijing's Capital Theatre didn't know whether to laugh or cry so chose both after the much-anticipated premiere of the mainland version of Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, which opened last week.

The sell-out production features China's top TV drama actors as well as stars from Taipei's Performance Workshop and players from the National Theatre Company of China.

Taiwan director Lai Sheng-chuan (Stan Lai) said it was an honour to perform at the Capital Theatre, where so many great plays, such as the Teahouse and Thunderstorm have been put on

Though Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land is unlike any previous play shown at the Capital Theatre, it is likely to be added to the list of the great plays in the theatre's history.

In Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, two theatre groups are mistakenly booked into the same theatre for rehearsal. One is performing a modern tragedy called Secret Love, telling of a dying old man in Taipei searching for his first love from Shanghai lost half a century ago. The other is performing the farce In Peach Blossom Land, lampooning the fabled utopia of classical Chinese literature.

They fight for the stage, but end up resigned to sharing it. What ensues is a juxtaposition of modern and ancient times, tragedy and comedy. However different they seem, when put together, the two plays begin to point to a common theme, resulting in a question, which really is the tragedy.

"Compared to Secret Love, In Peach Blossom Land is actually a heavier tragedy," said Beijing-based drama critic Shui Jing. "The sadness of Secret Love can be attributed to a time, but the sadness of In Peach Blossom Land can only be attributed to man himself."

Huang Lei, who plays Jiang Binliu, lead protagonist of Secret Love, also said he found great tragic elements in In Peach Blossom Land, and would like to appear as the central hero, Tao the fisherman, sometime in the future. In fact during rehearsals he has already played Tao and enjoyed it very much.

Since its debut in 1986, there have been four drama versions and a film version of Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, the casts having included such famous actors and actresses as Brigette Lin (Lin Qingxia), Chin Shih-chieh (Jin Shijie) and Lee Li-chun (Li Liqun). Every time Lai re-directed the play, he came up with some new gadgets, but the structure and plot of the play have remained the same. "I believe not repairing something unless it is broken," said Lai.

The mainland version of Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land is closest to the play's original form, except that new lines that match modern Beijing life have been inserted.

For example, there are references of popular TV shows such as "Super Girls" and "My Hero," and traffic jams on the ring roads of Beijing.

These lines were created by the actors and actresses, as part of the "collective improvisation" that Lai adopts in his theatrical work. In fact, the play was born in the improvisational rehearsals of the Performance Workshop led by Lai in 1986.

That's the reason why Lai chose He Jiong and Xie Na, who are well-known anchors in popular TV shows, to play fishmonger Yuan and Chunhua in the In Peach Blossom Land part.

"The anchoring experiences of He and Xie enable them to control the rhythm of a comedy, so I don't have to explain much to them," said Lai. "The changes in this version were results of our actors' improvisations."

He Jiong said when they tour other cities with Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, they change some lines according to local situations.

The first performance in Beijing on Saturday was sold out one week in advance, and 70 per cent of the tickets for the first nine performances (November 18-26) in Beijing were sold out before opening night, according to Yuan Hong, the play's producer.

From December 8 to 13, the play will be staged in Shanghai (the Shanghai Grand Theatre), where the first part of "Secret Love" is set. Then the play will tour Xi'an from December 18 to 19, and return to Beijing for a second round from December 22 to January 7 at the PLA Opera House.

After that, the play will go on to tour Shenzhen, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Taipei and San Francisco next year.

(China Daily November 22, 2006)