As a part of the Beijing-Taiwan Cultural Festival which wrapped up Sunday, Taiwan's Ping-Fong Acting Troupe staged situation comedy “Can Three Make It: Part I” over the weekend to resounding applause.

Starring Chen Chia-kuei, Tu Shih-mei and Kuo Yur-ren, the work adopted local elements for the performances, including mentioning the famous drink erguotou, a strong white spirit, which added to the hilarity.

The work is the second from Taiwanese playwright and director Hugh Lee to be staged in Beijing, following “Shamlet” in 2009. Lee's writing philosophy is to present the funny side of life in his work and “Can Three Make It: Part I” is a great combination of the complicated, tiring and often obscure modern lives of people in the city.

Capturing social and cultural phenomenon and the romantic relationships among people, “Can Three Make It: Part I” saw the three performers take on all 30 roles, including a merchant, employee and radio personality.

"All the roles in the play are desperate to run from the messed-up life they lead and their desperate actions are what make audiences laugh," executive director and a student of Lee's, Jasmine Huang, told the Global Times. "My requirement of our three performers is for them to put themselves into the roles' lives, so that it's hard for audiences to know when they are acting and when they show their real sides, which creates a better dramatic effect."

“Can Three Make It: Part I” is part of an annual cultural exchange program between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan that has been underway since 2005. This year's festival was held between June 13 and July 4 and covered all aspects of the arts including music, film, painting and drama.

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