Socially relevant themes get a stage

Artists from around the world show off their skills at the outdoor carnival during the Fourth Wuzhen Theater Festival, which runs through Saturday at the ancient water town of Wuzhen in Zhejiang province.

The reports also said that the parallels between what was on stage and what was happening in real life did not escape the sharp eyes of the observant.

Incidentally, Stan Lai, co-founder and executive chairman of the Wuzhen festival, also has a long history with Fo.

His Performance Workshop has presented many Chinese-language productions of Fo's works, including the localized and very popular Can't Pay? Won't Pay!

"Fo was unique," says Lai. "His plays may look like traditional farce, but they incorporate social, political and cultural criticism, touching upon the most in-depth issues of mankind. He made comedy deep."

Social relevance is on full display at the Water Theater, where Chinese audiences seem to fully grasp every joke and gag partly because the director brings home the frequent parallels between Fo's world and the world we live in.

Yet, to be socially conscious does not guarantee a good piece of art.