What's on

My Bucket List

When: Dec 31 to Jan 4, 7:30 pm; Jan 1 and 4, 2 pm

Where: Shanghai Culture Square

The Chinese version of the musical My Bucket List tells the story of two young men during their last few days of life.

Rather than receiving treatment, 19-year-old Liu Bao chooses to complete his bucket list by doing things like giving a concert, marrying his idol and designing his own funeral.

He hires a rebellious teenager, Yang Xiaoyu, who has previously attempted suicide, to help him. While keeping the general structure of the original South Korean version, many Chinese jokes are carefully mixed into this version.

It's a story of laughter instead of tears.

Aida

When: Jan 12 and 13, 7:30 pm

Where: Changsha Meixihu Poly Grand Theater

Composed by Giuseppe Verdi with librettist Antonio Ghislanzoni, Aida was commissioned for the opening of the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo and was first performed in 1871.

Along with La Traviata and Il Trovatore, Aida cemented Verdi as one of the most talented composers in history, with his repertoire still regularly performed to captivated crowds across the globe.

Split into four acts, the opera is a story of heartbreak and betrayal. Set in the midst of a war between Egypt and Ethiopia, this moving and timelessly tragic love story centers on the ill-fated and forbidden romance of Aida and Radames.

From Aida, the Egyptian princess and soprano, to Radames, the great warrior and lead tenor, scenes are dramatic, moving and evocative.

The Chinese New Year

When: Jan 17-19, 7:30 pm

Where: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing

With its dazzling hybrid of Western ballet and Chinese culture, the National Ballet of China has won a distinguished reputation for performing cherished works and original creations. It will delight audiences with The Chinese New Year, the localized version of The Nutcracker before the Spring Festival, which falls on Jan 25.

Premiering in 2001 and revised in 2010, the ballet presents a long scroll of Chinese festival customs.

In the ballet, Yuanyuan is a girl living in a hutong (alley) in Beijing. In her dream on New Year's Eve, she meets with the legendary monster Nian and embarks on a mystical journey in a world of Chinese folklore.

Looking West to Chang'an

When: Feb 13-23, time varies

Where: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing

Looking West to Chang'an is a five-act satire comedy authored by the writer Lao She on the basis of the first political fraud case of the new China in 1956.

The comedy tells an absurd and thought-provoking tale.

Li Wancheng, in the leading role, forges his personal details and CV to get official posts. People trust him and help him garner fame and fortune.

Some victims even help the deceiver get married. When a few vigilant comrades become aware of his deception, the public security organ launches an investigation.

In vivid and humorous style, Lao She depicts a dozen figures with distinctive characters. The whole drama demonstrates strong irony and practical significance.

Lisa Ono Romance

When: Feb 14, 7:30 pm

Where: Shanghai Jing'an Sports Center

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lisa Ono moved to Tokyo at the age of 10. At 15, she began singing and playing, making her professional debut as a bossa nova singer in 1989. Her voice and rhythmic guitar brought huge success and helped popularize bossa nova in Japan.

She has performed with many top musicians, including Antonio Carlos Jobim and jazz samba giant Joao Donato, and has played in New York, Brazil and across Asia.

Ono's album Dream, released in 1999, sold more than 200,000 copies in Japan, and she has since established a prime position in the country's bossa nova scene.

The Tragedy of Hamlet,Prince of Denmark

When: March 12-15, 7:30 pm

Where: Beijing Poly Theater

Of all the works of William Shakespeare that have graced the theaters in China, Hamlet is arguably the most famous.

The latest version of the play, entitled The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, directed by Li Liuyi, will soon hit Beijing Poly Theater.

Veteran actors Hu Jun, Pu Cunxi and Lu Fang will play the leading roles.

Before The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Li directed the Chinese version of Shakespeare's King Lear.

The National Center for the Performing Arts has been working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, a theater organization based in the Bard's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, on the Shakespeare Folio Project.

This aims to make the playwright's work more accessible to Chinese speakers.

Papa's Bed

When: March 17-29. 7:30 pm

Where: Tianjin Guanghua Theater

Never once do the father and the daughter in this performance actually meet each other. They only make phone calls, during which both talk, discuss, argue or resort to silence. The conversation always wanders around a theme that both seem to know and are comfortable with, including the weather.

A husband who lost his wife. A daughter who lost her mother. Yet grief and sorrow never reach the other side of the telephone line.

The father remarried three months after the mother's death. He has to put away old furniture and photos, because his partner wants new air in the space. In stark contrast, the daughter's memories linger in the house that becomes ever more strange.