A night out at the theatre

The Beijing Actors' (and Directors' and Writers') Workshop put on a show last night at the PengHao Theatre - Short Attention Span Theatre, a collection of mini-plays they've been developing in the various workshops over the past few months.

I know quite a few of the people involved in this (primarily laowai) group (and have often been tempted to take part myself, but have somehow never quite made the time), and one of them was kind enough to lay on a complimentary ticket for me. Even he had warned me (two or three times!) not to expect too much from the writing, and indeed it was...... Well, I think the first piece was probably the strongest, and that's something of a tactical error in the programming. However, I'm very forgiving with am-dram: it's the effort and enthusiasm that win you over, it's the electricity of live performance that you go to experience - not the quality of the writing or acting per se. And it's such a rare treat to be able to see some drama in English in Beijing (in fact, there isn't a whole hell of a lot in Chinese, either); it's got me looking forward to a possible break in Edinburgh again this summer.

And this was my first time at the PengHao, a little theatre club down an alleyway behind the Central Academy of Drama (I don't know if it has any connection with CAD), halfway down Dongmianhua Hutong. It's been open a little less than a year, I think, and I've been hearing for a while that it is rather a decent little bar - open all the time, even when there's no show on, I gather.

I think it may merit further investigation: the prices are reasonable, and the food smelled pretty good. I have some gripes about the layout of the space: the bar is rather too broad, and cluttered; a laager of sofas in the middle of the room blocks access to the bar (there's only a foot or so of space between the back of one of them and the main serving area) and to the theatre itself (ugly congestion as we waited to be allowed in). And I suspect the clientele may be dominated by an artsy-fartsy crowd, and rather too predominantly or exclusively laowai for my taste. Nevertheless, it's in a good location, and has a cosy, friendly ambience about it. If the food and drinks are actually any good (I only had a Tsingtao last night - rather more vile than usual, and not especially well chilled), the place might make it on to my second string.

However, since it's just down the road from Jianghu, and only 5 minutes' walk from 12 Sq M, it's unlikely ever to become a very regular haunt of mine. The local competition is just too tough.

I look forward to seeing further shows there, though.