Shenzhen citizens can enjoy cheaper tickets to nine shows in the "07 Gotone Performance Season" starting November, thanks to the generosity of the city government.

Those quick enough can get special-offer 50-yuan (US$6.6) tickets at the box office of the Shenzhen Grand Theater. But hurry, there are only 100 such tickets available for each performance.

With a subsidy of about 1 million yuan from the government, the event organizer has promised to cut ticket prices by an average of 15 to 20 percent.

"Six shows featuring music and dance will have their ticket prices cut by 15 percent, prices for children's plays will be cut by 20 percent, and we've just added to the repertoire two new shows — dramas — which will also benefit from the subsidies," said Zheng Weiqian, general manager of the Shenzhen Performance Company.

Apart from the special offer, citizens can pay as little as 150 yuan to enjoy the light music of Danny Malando's Tango Orchestra from the Netherlands, a New Year's concert by the century-old Greek State Symphony Orchestra, the classics "Swan Lake" and "Nutcracker" being brought to Shenzhen by the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera Ballet Theater of Russia, and a sensuous gala show by former Lido dancers from Paris.

Tickets to the "Pink Floyd Ballet", also called a "rock ballet". performed by the National Ballet of China, will sell for between 90 and 580 yuan. Tickets for "Pippi Longstocking," a popular children's play, will cost between 100 and 240 yuan.

To prevent scalpers from profiting from the special offers, citizens can each buy only two 50-yuan tickets, organizers said.

The two newly added shows are plays — one a French comedy, "Le diner de cons", and the other a play based on late female writer Eileen Chang's novel "Red Rose and White Rose." The novel tells the love story between one man and two women, with Chinese actress Qin Hailu playing one of the "roses".

"Le diner de cons" ("The Idiots' Dinner" in English) was a popular play in France and turned into a movie in 1998. The play, as well as the comedy, had a great impact in France, and both received many awards. Chinese comedian Guo Donglin and Canadian comedian Mark Rowswell or Da Shan — well known for his fluent mandarin and presenter of CCTV 9's "Travel in Chinese" — will lead the show.

(Shenzhen Daily October 20, 2007)