What's on

Ago

When: Dec 11-14 and 17-21, 7 pm; Dec 15 and 22, 3 pm

Where: Theater Above, Shanghai

An epic of life in all its laughter and tears, Ago is director Stan Lai's most ambitious artistic endeavor to date.

The story is set in a tranquil mountain village near the Himalayas. The play introduces a wide variety of characters who enjoy a simple and bucolic life, such as Pema, who owns a noodle shop, Dorje, who can tell stories about the mystical Pure Land by heart, Tashi, who is able to speak with animals, Caiyun, who has a voice of an angel, and many others.

At a wedding, a powerful earthquake disrupts the joyous gathering and razes the village to the ground, pelting the villagers into a storm of chaos as their old life shatters. Some of them attempt a fresh start in New York City, only to find themselves standing on the brink of destruction once again on that fateful day of Sept 11, 2001.

This time, they embark on a journey whose scope and difficulty can only be described as epic. Standing in the base camp on Kangchenjunga, they are about to face head-on life's struggles at their extreme.

The Diaries of John Rabe

When: Dec 13, 7:30 pm

Where: Jiangsu Center for the Performing Arts, Nanjing

An opera production, The Diaries of John Rabe, tells a tale of humanitarian heroism during the Nanjing Massacre of 1937.

When the Imperial Japanese Army advanced toward Nanjing in its all-out invasion of China, John Rabe (1882-1950), a German businessman working for Siemens in China, and 20 other foreigners, established the Nanjing Safety Zone that sheltered 200,000 Chinese refugees. A total of 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were slaughtered by the Japanese army over a period of six weeks from December 1937, when Japan captured Nanjing, then capital of China.

Rabe witnessed the Japanese atrocities firsthand and recorded them in his diary.

It took composer Tang Jianping one year and five days to put the opera on stage. Directed by Zhou Mo, the work stands for universal humanism and is at the same time a sign of deep gratitude.

The Golden Dragon

When: Dec 20 and 21, 7:30 pm

Where: Jiangsu Center for the Performing Arts, Nanjing

The Golden Dragon is based on the play by German playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig in 1967.

Migration, exploitation, hopes and lost dreams are at the heart of The Golden Dragon, a compelling fable of modern life－funny, shocking and touching in equal measure.

It is set in a pan-Asian restaurant and follows the story of a Chinese immigrant working illegally in the kitchen. Experiencing terrible toothache, and unable to seek medical help because of his illegal status he has no choice but to accept the best efforts of his kitchen colleagues, with tragic consequences. Meanwhile, a parallel story about an abusive ant and vulnerable cricket brutally highlights the plight of the many people who find themselves on the edge of society.

Joe Louis Walker

When: Dec 26 and 27, 7:30 pm

Where: Blue Note Beijing

Joe Louis Walker, a musician from the United States, is a Blues Hall of Fame inductee and four-time Blues Music Award winner. A true powerhouse guitar virtuoso, unique singer and prolific songwriter, he has toured extensively throughout his career, performed at renowned music festivals, and earned a legion of dedicated fans.

In 1975, burned out on blues, Walker turned to singing for the next decade with a gospel group, the Spiritual Corinthians. When the Corinthians played the 1985 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, he was inspired to embrace his blues roots again. He formed the group the Boss Talkers and merged his gospel, jazz, soul, funk and rock genres.

Vienna Royal Orchestra New Year Concert

When: Jan 2, 7:15 pm

Where: Shanghai Grand Theater

The Vienna Royal Orchestra Austria is composed of musicians from the leading Viennese orchestras, including the philharmonic, symphony and radio symphony orchestras.

The concert presents a unique selection of Viennese music with pieces from Mozart, Strauss, Lanner, Lehar, Schrammel and Haydn.

An Accident of Love

When: March 6 and 7, 7:30 pm

Where: Shanghai Culture Square

Adapted from 1983 film Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?, musical An Accident of Love is a moving tale of kinship, love and chasing dreams. The strong cast features singer Ding Dang.

The three-hour theatrical adaptation has toured the world. Besides renditions of popular classic songs from the original film, one can also expect well-known titles from Ding Dang's albums like I Love Him, giving the musical a delicate touch of novelty.

The Beauty

When: March 18, 7:30 pm

Where: Wenzhou Poly Grand Theater

The Beauty is about Sai Jinhua, who was born around 1870 and died in 1936. She was the best-known Chinese courtesan during the turn of the century.

Sai was a young harlot in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, when a retired official with the top rank of imperial scholar, selected her to be his concubine. When he was sent as an emissary to Germany, Russia, Austria and the Netherlands, Sai went along as his wife, exposing herself to a life that was out-of-this-world exotic.

After they returned to China, the husband died and Sai resisted the idea that she would live out the rest of her life as a self-cocooned widow. Instead, in an effort to pick up where she left off before her marriage, Sai opened a "book residence" in Shanghai.