Chinese version of 'The Price' set to make a grand debut

The production was a huge success, with the tickets to all eight shows sold out, recalled Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, who described the event as "an unprecedented phenomenon at our theater for a Chinese theater production".

He, 55, arrived in Shanghai on May 23 to participate in a public discussion about the upcoming showings of The Price with Li Jianming, a translator and literary critic.

"Chinese audiences are familiar with Arthur Miller and his plays, such as The Crucible and Death of a Salesman, but The Price had never been presented in public on the Chinese mainland," says He, when asked about the motivation behind the creation of the Chinese version of the renowned play.

"I am not so bold as to judge Arthur Miller, but I think his plays are powerful enough to reach beyond time and space," says He, who read The Price last year and believes the theme of guilt and responsibility, as well as the topic of strained relationships between family members, will have strong resonance with today's Chinese audiences.

"It is a dilemma faced by all human beings — do we live for ourselves, or do we live for other people? It's like an alternative version of'to be or not to be'," he adds.