West End comedy set for Beijing run

The adaptation of Ray Cooney's 1983 West End comedy, Run for Your Wife, will be performed at Beijing Comedy Theater from Wednesday to March 17.

Directed by Chen Xingfei, a student of veteran comedian Chen Peisi, the play tells the story of a taxi driver, John, who secretly has two wives in two different towns. When a mugging sends John to the hospital, his carefully forged identity faces being found out. Both wives report him missing, sending two meddling detectives to investigate the curious case of John.

The Chinese play has been staged for more than 1,000 shows since its premiere in Shanghai in 2021. It has been a resident show in Shanghai and Changsha, Hunan province, for three years, gaining a large fan base.

According to the script's translator Chen Zhixian, the adaptation appeals to Chinese audiences and has localized jokes.