Two well-dressed robbers rush into a bank and politely approach the clerk to say "Hello!"

It is the opening scene of a new comedy drama, Hello, Give Me the Money! (Nihao, Dajie), which shows audience that things are not always as they seem. The play revolves around two innocent robbers, three apathetic bank clerks, several greedy investigators and cautious passers-by and all the action takes place on a Friday afternoon.

As the plot unfolds, the definition of "robber" becomes somewhat confusing.

Rao Xiaozhi is one of China's experimental theater directors who integrates more creative elements into drama. The drama no longer adopts the one-way traditional stage but presents the show in a panoramic view.

There hangs a round suspended ceiling on the stage-top and the ground is covered with square bricks, which symbol the "Round Heaven and Square Earth" in traditional Chinese belief.

Surrounded by four swinging glass doors, a safe stands in the center of the stage satirizing the power of cash in our money-orientated society.

The whole stage setting is dominated by black and white, which provide a stark visual backdrop for the drama to unfold.

"It is an interesting drama full of black humor," says Li Yapeng, the husband of singer and acting superstar Faye Wong and also the executive producer of the drama. "Audiences could find themselves in our characters and they will all surprised by the ending."

7:30 pm, until Sept 13, except on Monday
TNT Theater, Xiaozhuang Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing
400-810-3721

(China Daily September 4, 2009)