Play shines light on former lovers

Chinese play, Skylight, by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, will debut in Beijing with performances from Thursday to Sunday at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

The Chinese version of Skylight premiered in 2019 with French director Claudia Stavisky as the director. The 2021 revival, directed by Luo Qian, features Chinese actor Yang Yi and actress Xie Chengying playing the leading roles.

The story follows the schoolteacher Kyra who receives an unexpected visit from her former lover, Tom, an entrepreneur, whose wife has recently died of cancer. On a cold winter night Tom's teenage son, Edward, calls on the young teacher to beg her to be reconciled with his father. As the evening progresses, the two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of opposing ideas and mutual desires.

The Chinese play was adapted from the award-winning play with the same title. Directed by three-time Oscar nominee Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare, Skylight, premiered in 1995, was presented at the West End Theatre and Broadway, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Drama. In 2015, a revival of Skylight staged on Broadway in New York, winning the 69th Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.