三月天，娃娃脸 (Babyface)

Synopsis

A small roadside restaurant in Shanghai serves as the backdrop for a clandestine meeting between two former lovers.

Middle Bracket, a married man in his forties, and Dot, a woman in her twenties, navigate the complexities of their ongoing affair against the backdrop of modern China. As they meet in hotel rooms and Dot’s apartment over the years, their conversations reveal a relationship fraught with power imbalances, unspoken desires, and societal pressures. The play unfolds through a series of intimate encounters, exploring the couple’s past and present while hinting at an uncertain future.

Zhang Bing’s nuanced drama delves into themes of infidelity, aging, and societal expectations in contemporary Chinese society. Through the central characters’ evolving relationship, the play examines the tension between personal desires and social responsibilities, as well as the ways in which individuals navigate moral ambiguity in their personal lives. With sharp dialogue and a non-linear structure, Babyface offers a poignant and often darkly comic exploration of love, longing, and the compromises we make in pursuit of connection.