BOOKS FROM CHINAThunderstorm : A Play
by Cao Yu
Tags:
Set in China
Male author
Description:
Thunderstorm, a four-act play by China's leading playwright Tsao Yu, has held the stage since it was first produced in 1933, and is a classic of 20th-century drama. Its wide human appeal has drawn audiences from every walk of life. The setting is the home of an industrialist in northern China, where a family has come together with the inexorable fatality of a Greek drama. This is a play of tensions, and in the 24 hours in which the action takes place, we watch these tensions mount as the climax swiftly approaches. The emotional conflicts and stresses, which Tsao Yu handles with remarkable finesse, are skillfully interwoven in such a way that suspense is sustained to the very end. The play is an accomplished example of the Western form of drama in China.