A love story for the ages

When he read about a detail written in the story, he would think about how to present it onstage, even the scenes not elaborated upon in the novella, he adds.

For example, to present how the two first met and became attracted to each other, Yip shot a seven-minute dance scene choreographed by Carolyn Choa, a well-known dancer. The scene is displayed on a screen in front of the stage when the play is performed.

"We deliberated on a lot of the details in the story, to present a comprehensive world that the characters live in, and then integrate the details with dialogue. The story is a multilayered and complex one," Yip says.

The performers need to delve deep into the story and present the intricacies of the characters' personalities, so the audience can interpret the story beyond a simple love tale, he adds.

When Chang herself adapted the story into a play in the 1940s, she wrote that she hoped the audience would not take it as a bygone legend. "It's about people and the stories near them."