On May 24, the widely acclaimed Chinese drama classic "Tea House", which has thrived for more than half a century, marked its 500th performance. About one month later, another original Chinese drama, "Toilet," which is said to be a modern version of "Tea House", made its premiere at Tianqiao Theater in Beijing.

"Toilet" is the second-largest original drama by the National Theater Company of China this year, which is known for its performances of foreign drama classics. The playwright Guo Shixing wanted to make the work another Chinese drama classic with a distinct Beijing flavor. The famous director Lin Zhaohua, who has had a long professional relationship with Guo, agrees that this work does represent the spiritual status of Beijing people at different time periods. The biggest mystery lies in how the play plans to interpret the "toilet culture" in dramatic language that stage art has been trying to avoid.

Guo, who also wrote other successful plays such as "Fish Man, Bird Man and Chess Man," said the inspiration for this work first came from a toilet exhibition in Beijing in 1996. What struck Guo most was part of the exhibit's introduction, which was cited from the Old Testament. After Moses guided the Israelites from Egypt, the first order he gave his people was "Bury your excreta". He also recalled a motto engraved in 3,000 urinals of a massive ancient Roman toilet: "People that can defecate together can be a united nation." Both inspired Guo to produce a new drama about the much ignored and taboo toilet culture in contemporary Beijing.

In the drama, a toilet cleaner, an educated youth, a thief, a rock singer, a waitress and a baker are among the many different characters appearing on stage to chat, swap opinions and a variety of other things in the toilet. Quirky dialogues are a major feature of the drama. The skillful use of the contemporary Beijing dialect and black humor give the production a full-bodied Beijing flavor. The backdrop of the original drama is unique, with typical toilet sets from the 1970s, '80s and '90s as the only scenes on stage. "They are very clean and will not disgust the audience," noted the director Lin. "When the curtain is drawn, they will see actors perform in these toilets."

Drama star Tao Hong will star as the heroine opposite Zhao Liang. "I can only say that their performances are wonderful -- very, very wonderful," gushed Lin.

Yan Long is in charge of the stage art and Han Jiang, lighting and design.

Time: June 29-July 11

Location: Tianqiao Theatre

Tel: 010-83156170

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The Essence of Beijing Culture: 'Tea House' vs 'Toilet'	Tianqiao Theater