Ménage à 13

a modern fable

Ménage à 13 is a play by Stan Lai (Lai Shengchuan), one of the most prominent and prolific playwrights writing in the Chinese language. Adhering to Lai’s love of using comedy to deal with serious issues, the play moves into the surreal when a love triangle gets complicated because the principals all masquerade as others to make sense of it all. Lai calls the play his 「homage to Woody Allen,「 also citing Dario Fo and Moliere as inspirations to the work, which was initially inspired by a real life stranger than fiction ménage à trois in Taipei between 3 celebrities that became very public through the media. Lai’s work trumps the real life version through his bold script that borders constantly on the line between the ludicrously real and the surreality of normal life.

The play premiered in Taipei in 1999, in an earlier version with an extra character, deleted in this production. This version was produced and rehearsed in Beijing, with a mix of actors from Beijing and Taipei, including the noted comic actress Xie Na from Beijing and the crosstalk and theatre veteran Song Shaoqing from Taipei, both of whom have worked extensively with Lai. This production is directed by Lai himself.

Written and Directed by Stan Lai
Featuring: Xie Na, Song Shaoqing, Zhou Yang, Deng Jiajia

Produced by Wang Keran and Nai-chu Ding
Executive Producer Vanessa Yeo
Technical Director Shi Jianhua
Stage Manager Cheng Jianxiong

Total number of runs: 25