Is there a big enough audience for a play performed by Chinese, but in English? Can native English speakers understand it?

"I think it is quite weird for non-native speakers to act in English," said Li Jian, a senior student of Shanghai International Studies University.

Some theatre lovers believe the market for English drama has not yet matured.

But others hold that acting is not confined to a single language and regard the subject of "www.com" as universal, as it depicts love over the Internet.

Its director and producer are confident about its market potential.

"www.com" was originally written, under the same title, in Chinese by Yu Rongjun, a playwright at the centre. The Chinese version of the play premiered in 2000 and ran for 42 performances straight, returning unprecedented box office earnings. In 2001, after another eight shows in both Shanghai and Beijing, the play won the National Dramatic Cao Yu Award, the top award for drama in China.

"The play discusses the relations between love, marriage and communications, aiming to reveal the loneliness of people in modern society," said Yu Rongjun.

Zhu Dakun, producer of the play, said: "The subject deals with the issues almost every person faces in a fast-changing world. Therefore, it can appeal to audiences from other parts of the world."

Annouk Ruffo Leduc, public diplomacy officer of the Canadian Consulate-general in Shanghai, said: "The subject is relevant to urban life, just like life in Canada."

Keith Andony, a Canadian freelance writer in Shanghai, thinks the play is close to the reality of contemporary China, letting foreigners know what is actually happening in the country.

"The play is a brave attempt to change the impression left by Zhang Yimou's films like 'Raise the Red Lantern' and 'Hero' in our mind," he said.

Market potential

Zhu believes the market for English dramas is maturing.

He said audiences first became aware of English drama when Othello was staged in 1997.

Since then, a series of good quality English dramas like "Red Shoes," "Merchant of Venice" and "Three Dark Tales" have won over a large number of young fans.

"The number of English drama fans is growing. Over 90 per cent of the seats were occupied when these English plays were staged," Zhu added.

David W. Jiang, director of the English version of "www.com" and the dean of drama at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, thought the local Shanghai audience was even more enthusiastic about English drama than Hong Kong and Taiwan audiences.

"Though people's average English skills in Hong Kong and Taiwan may be better than those of Shanghai, the audiences in these two places are mainly enclosed in small expatriate and English-speaking communities," said Jiang.

Besides, Jiang's previous success in directing the English version of Dario Fo's "An Ordinary Day," which was staged at the Shanghai Drama Arts Centre in 2002, also strengthened Jiang's confidence.

There were 13 performances of "An Ordinary Day" in total, and five of them were presented in English.

Jiang said: "The reaction of the audience was positive during our discussions with them after the show. Many of them went to see the English version after they saw the Chinese one."

The audience for English drama in Shanghai usually includes expatriates, university students, and clerks with foreign-funded companies, Jiang noted.

Language barriers

In spite of their confidence in the market, Zhu and Jiang still encountered great challenges in the production process.

Unlike "An Ordinary Day," which featured American actress Charlotte MacInnis, "www.com" was to use all Chinese actors and actresses.

"Our biggest problem was to find the right people to cast in the roles," Zhu said. "They should not only be able to act but have a good command of English."

After searching for months, Jiang decided to invite Tamara Guo, who was born in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region but grew up and was educated in Australia, to play the wife, who has the biggest speaking part.

Jiang thought Guo would be competent at both spoken English and acting because she had won numerous awards for her singing and acting and been cast in leading roles in Broadway musicals.

However, it was the first time Guo had been cast in an English drama.

"I used to spend at least two months for one rehearsal," Guo said. "For this play, we only had one month. But we worked intensively every day. To be the first makes me feel great, and I work even harder."

TV anchor Liu Bing from Life Channel of Shanghai Television Station and TV hostess You Jia from "New Shanghai Holiday," a Shanghai Broadcasting Network programme, will play the husband and the mistress respectively.

Zhu said: "The reason we chose them is because they both have acting experience, they often host English TV programmes, and they are very popular with the audience."

Experienced actor Fu Chong will take the role of the Chinese-American.

Two language tutors, one from the United States and the other from Canada, were invited to improve the actors' pronunciation.

Their performance was thought to be convincing. Canadian Leduc thought the actors and actresses spoke English smoothly and would touch the audience with their words.

However, many jokes and some popular excerpts from the Internet which appear in the original Chinese version cannot be translated into English.

Jiang said, "A change of style is inevitable. The Chinese version is funnier, while the English version is more subtle in describing emotions."

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Drama Company is presenting the play's Cantonese version. A Japanese version of the play has also been published in Japan. And a Canadian theatrical company is also planning to produce an English version.

"All the facts indicate the play touches the hearts of people who are living in different places," said Zhu.

(China Daily January 22, 2003)