Actress Fang Fang, Taiwan pop star Aya and Yang Ting, the leading actress of mainland's avant-garde theater, will bring their banter to the Beizhan Theater on October 5 and 6.

Fang deserves a good amount of the credit for their cameos, because her vivacious vocals, including her operatic prowess, established her as a top woman comedian in Taiwan.

The play begins with Blue Diamond (Aya) and Red Gem (Yang Ting) hosting a gala event for the fictitious female products firm Total Women. They are waiting for an old woman who is reportedly a master of Xiangsheng.

But the old woman never shows up. Her granddaughter, Funny (Fang) comes in her stead and tells the two that her grandmother's dead. And according to the age-old rules of showbiz, the show must go on, so Funny performs in her place.

When women perform Xiangsheng, their approach to the art form is scolding people in the streets. They stand on the corner and verbally lash everyone in sight, and Funny shows off what she's learned from her grandmother by chewing out some passersby.

Audiences are sure to enjoy Fang's spectacular acting as she does several onstage about-faces, switching from the role of a sharp-tongued street scolder to that of a dull-witted old lady to a male tricycle cabbie.

And as the play progresses, Fang goes on to demonstrate even greater talent as Funny when she shares stories about how her grandmother cultivated her propensity for oratory, which won her jobs as a stock market announcer, a bus attendant, a elevator operator and finally, as a waitress at a restaurant in Taipei where the bill is loudly accounted for in front of the customer.

Audiences would be amazed at how fast Fang can talk and add up the bill - at the same time.

Aya and Yang's characters are mostly there to react to Fang's boasting, but the play does provide both of them the opportunity to shine from time to time.

Lai points out that the play is not only unique in that the actors are women but also in that there are three of them, while Xiangsheng traditionally features a pair of actors. The advantage of using a terrific trio over a dynamic duo is that audiences see a greater range of age in Total Women.

Aya's character is that of the pretty ditz, while Yang is the softhearted chatterbox, and Fang is the often-androgynous entertainer who transforms onstage into a little old lady, middle-aged divorcee and a nave girl. And this diversity of representations further enriches the comedic experience.

Editor: Cindy