Stan Lai doesn't disappoint

Some directors' plays never fail you, and Taiwan theater impresario Stan Lai (pictured right) is one of these few.

Some plays are just for fun - sitting in the theater laughing and losing the plot the next morning. Some are heart-wrenching and some force you to think for a while.

But Lai's dramas are all of these. He makes you laugh until you cry, and makes you feel it is your own story being played out on the stage, while providing touching details that will make you want to see it a second and third time, or whenever it returns to town.

Menage a 13 is another signature work of Lai that brings the laughs in one scene while unconsciously making you feel sad for the characters.

Premiering in Taiwan in 1999 to wide acclaim, Lai revives the play for this mainland tour, starring TV host Xie Na in the leading role of Hua Xianglan, a TV anchor in the play. Hua has a promising career, a governor husband and a lovely daughter. Life is happy until she finds her husband is having an affair with another woman.

The plot is pretty relevant in today's urban setting, and I bet everyone can learn something from it.

March 8 to 11. Poly Theater, Beijing. 010-6506-5343.

April 20 and 21. Oriental Art Center, Shanghai. 021-6213-2377.