It's not just a story of lies but also of truth. For a 22-night run until May 10, the drama "True Lies" is being staged in Beijing. Famous mainland singer, composer and director Gao Xiaosong was in the audience for the show's debut on Wednesday.

"I think in Hong Kong, business and trade are put in the first place while art lags behind," Gao said, "But recently I've found that more directors have started to make stage dramas. I think Beijing offers them a stage."

Hong Kong film director Gordon Chan has rarely been involved in drama productions, but he is a producer for this one. It's raised the question of whether his appearance as supervisor is just a ruse designed to add more appeal.

Chan said, "I haven't been involved in any stage production for more than two decades. But this time I had the opportunity. Many are questioning whether my role is simply having my name on the poster. But I have joined it and it's a great experience. It's a small theater production and doesn't have a big budget, but I like it."

More interestingly, perhaps, is the fact that "True Lies" doesn't have any written scripts. So with improvisation crucial to the success of the final production, the cast has to be at its very best every night.