(L-R) Cast members Ah-Ya, Yang Ting and Fang Fang rehearse Stan Lai's new crosstalk drama Total Woman, in Beijing on Wednesday, September 12, 2007. [Photo: yule.sohu.com]

What do women usually gossip about? Taiwan theater director Stan Lai offers an answer in his new play, Total Woman.

The creator of the 1985 ground-breaking drama That Night We Crosstalk is back with a three-woman crosstalk show, featuring Taiwan's top comedian Fang Fang, popular talk-show host Ah-Ya, and Yang Ting from the Chinese mainland.

Although Total Woman debuted in Taipei as early as 2005, Stan Lai is dedicating his time in tailoring it for the mainland audience.

On Wednesday, a selection of media members were able to catch 20 minutes of the show in Beijing during the cast's rehearsal. The sparkling lines drew constant laughter.

Stan Lai however, is careful in keeping the plot a secret, saying the rest is even better.

He reveals that the drama will have seven chapters, in which the three characters talk about a plethora of topics for two hours.

The drama is slated to debut in the southern city of Shenzhen on September 26, before meeting Beijing audience for two days on October 5 and 6.

Stan Lai is considered as the most influential voice in Chinese-language theater. His last stage drama, Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, was an industrial success.

He is also known for creating a series of crosstalk drama, a combination of stage drama and crosstalk. Critics say the crosstalk series, inaugurated by That Night We Crosstalk, have inspired a renewed interest in the traditional Chinese art form.

(CRIENGLISH.com September 14, 2007)