Local theatergoers are in for an epic experience with "Ago," which debuted earlier this week at Theater Above. The five-and-a-half-hour production, written and directed by Stan Lai, will run through December 22.

Featuring four acts and more than 300 roles, the play is a collection of stories about a group of people from a tranquil mountain village in Yunnan Province.

Everyone in the village has a story to tell: a woman named Pema running a noodle shop, brothers Dorje and Tashi and their mother who all have supernatural abilities, a middle-aged speculator who exchanges all of his property for a Tibetan mastiff, two young singers and a college student leaving Beijing behind for a new life in the countryside.

After a powerful earthquake disrupts their peaceful lives and razes the village to the ground, some of the villagers attempt a fresh start in New York. However, they stand on the brink of destruction once again on September 11, 2001.

Going through two calamities, they embark on a journey to find happiness.

“The play has been brewing in my mind for 10 years, but the actual writing of it began only this year,” said Lai.

One of highlights of the play is its staging, which is designed by visual artist Sandra Woodall. Like another of Lai’s extended shows, “A Dream Like a Dream,” this latest work also places the audience in the heart of the drama, with actors performing around them.

The play stars Chinese actress Hao Lei and pop singer Zhang Jie, who is making his drama debut.

Performance info

Date: Through December 22

Tickets: 280-1,680 yuan

Tel: 6050-7009

Venue: Theater Above

Address: 5/F, 1111 Zhaojiabang Rd