If you fail in your first marriage, don't expect too much from your second or third... It is possible that past experiences could be repeated.

You may disagree. But after seeing the play Man and Woman (Xingqing Nannu) now being shown at Beijing People's Art Theater, you may start to realize that such a situation is possible.

The two-act play, the first production of the theater this year, tells the story of an urban marriage, featuring a man and three women his wife, ex-wife and their daughter. The man named Qi Shigao, a so-called successful real estate entrepreneur in his mid-40s, cannot break his ties with any of the three women.

"It somehow speaks for the current situation of urban families or marriages in China," said Xu Kun, the playwright, who is a popular contemporary novelist and this is in fact her first drama.

"I have tried to emphasize a kind of belief," said the playwright. "In this fast changing society of multi-culture and freedom, people are becoming more self-centered. It's really respectable for those who are able to keep their love and marriage from the beginning to the end," she said.

Qi divorced his ex-wife Gai Ling and married Jiao Xiaojiao, a young and pretty TV hostess. His daughter Hui Hui continued to live with his ex-wife. Although Qi loved his wife, he could not break himself from his ex and in particular their daughter.

The play is set on one night in two different homes the luxury villa of Qi and his wife and the apartment where Qi's ex-wife and his daughter live.

Qi goes to a restaurant to attend his daughter's 16th birthday party where he meets his ex that he hasn't seen for five years since the divorce.

Qi's wife has never trusted him. Suspicious of his infidelity, Qi's wife questions him about the visit.

The two have a big fight, which results in Qi leaving home and getting drunk. He later goes to his ex's apartment in search of comfort. Unfortunately his wife chases after him, which sparks off another row.

The play ends with the daughter running away, fed up with her parents' bickering.

"To persevere or give up, that is the question," said Ren Ming, director of the play. "Not one is a bad person, but they all just have problems. No matter where and what the problems are, they have to put up with the pain the problems cause," he said. "Sometimes a person is like a broken clock, which will be wrong forever if it insists on running," he continued.

Although the plot is simple, the author tells it in a cunning and satirical way. It has been written in a way that the audience can relate to situations in the play. They can therefore share the feelings of joy and bitterness expressed by the characters. 

The playwright Xu Kun feels satisfied with the performance, which features Gu Zhixin playing Qi, Cheng Lisha as the wife, Zhang Pei as the ex and Han Qing as the daughter.

"They may be young but they capture the spirit of their roles quite accurately, " she said.

The show is running until January 27.

(China Daily January 20, 2006)