Taiwanese stage director Edward Lam will bring his “Why We Chat?,” a Chinese-language theatrical presentation on modern relationships and ghost stories, to Shenzhen.
Sylvia Chang (R) and David Wang in a scene from “Why We Chat?.”
Inspired by the classical Chinese literary collection “Strange Stories From a Chinese Studio” published in 1740, the show centers on a modern writer, Mr. Pu, who wants to be a bestselling author but can never quite reach his aspiration. As things do not turn out as he plans, he starts to earn his living by developing a chatting app, through which he invents various types of beautiful women whom he can chat with.
However, he gradually becomes obsessed with one of his creations, Ms. Fox, who seems to know him better than he himself does. Over time, with Fox’s omnipresence, Pu begins to entertain the idea that she really exists. Whatever happened between this man and this woman, be it love or hate, it all happened at a busy hotel named “Liaozhai” (in Chinese, “Strange Stories From a Chinese Studio”).
The show’s tagline is “true love is like ghosts — you hear of them a lot, but few are those who actually come across one.”
“Strange Stories From a Chinese Studio” is a collection of ghost stories written by Pu Songling who implicitly criticized social issues in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Many of the critically lauded stories of the book have been adapted for movies and television.
Starring David Wang and Sylvia Chang, “Why We Chat?” is a romantic discourse that lets us gaze deep into ourselves, and into each other. Lam once commented on the show, saying that “in these days, we have so many ways of communicating with each other, but have people become afraid of engaging in real conversations? We take what we want from each other, but we resist giving ourselves to others. We constantly battle our emotional needs with the physical realities of everyday life. Are we becoming less human and more like ghosts? What if the fox spirit truly exists, a being who can see our innermost desires and is able to hold all these up to the light?”
Time: 8 p.m., Dec. 7-8
Tickets: 80-880 yuan
Venue: Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center, 2106 Nanshan Boulevard (南山大道2106号南山文体中心)
Metro: Line 1 to Taoyuan Station (桃园站), Exit B