Theater: Carnival of romance and revenge

Backstage with Elyse Ribbons: Bringing you a roundup of all the best theater shows this weekend – because variety is the spice of life.

While the oppressive heat hasn't changed its tune in Beijing this week, the theater scene has taken a big turn from the revolutionary themes of last month to some more fun topics – you know: sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. (Oh wait, that show didn't make it through the censors.) Even so, there are definitely more contemporary shows up this week, plus a fun Peking Opera show that's worth the effort.

Instead of aforementioned sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, there's a fantastic new acoustic musical,Carnival Time, which is by the young director Su Dan of Trojan Horse Theater (I still think it should change its English name to Muma Theater to avoid the obvious jokes). As the pictures indicate, this show plays with colors and lighting, using them to heighten the emotional turmoil of the main character. A bad breakup is never a pleasant thing to relive, but the catharsis of the dream sequences are both beautiful and relevant to modern Chinese dating. As Su Dan says, "the hardest thing for people to do is create distance between themselves and love", and the journey of Qiqi, the heroine, is painful but enlightening. Carnival Time,until Aug 14 @ Trojan Horse Theater, 22 International Art Street, Pingod, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang; (8610) 5711-0860.

However, not all love is based on proximity. In fact Flyin' Dance at the People's Arts Theater near Wangfujing is about the blossoming of a love affair through online BBS forums. This play is based on the amazingly popular book of the same title written by Taiwan author Cai Zhiheng (for Mandarin readers out there, I highly recommend this book for its simple language and charming story). While I don't want to give away the ending, I really should warn you that it's a typical Chinese love story, which means it ends in misery (albeit beautiful, bittersweet and meaningful misery), so prepare to shed some tears.

Flyin' Dance, until Aug 15 @ Beijing People's Arts Theater Experimental Stage

Got a show coming up? Send news and reviews to metrobeijing@chinadaily.com.cn or chinadailymetro@gmail.com.Read more from Elyse Ribbons on her blog, iheartbeijing