The Chinese version of "Revolutionary Road" starred by Chinese actors Sha Yi and Hu Ke, a couple in real life, premieres in Shanghai on Sunday, launching a national tour.

The play is based on a novel by Richard Yates, a great American writer often referred to as a representative of the mid-century "Age of Anxiety."

It tells the story of a middle-class couple in the United States who tries to break free from the spiritual emptiness and dull life in the 1950s but ends in tragedy.

Since the film version of "Revolutionary Road" gained praise around the world, the stage version has attracted a lot of attention since its release.

"Drama has its special form of expression. Although the audience may be familiar with me, the environment created by the stage and the combination of other actors should enable them to see the detailed inner world of the characters we express through the stage," Sha told the press.

Fierce quarrel, embarrassing scenes, the drama is real life on stage. For Sha and Hu, life for the couple is full of challenges.

Director Jiang Tao said, "This is not a completely realistic drama, but with the spirit of realism, it is not to describe the life you want but to show life as it is… as in the original novel, nothing in life can escape the stage."

To highlight the background, the show's songwriting team, Hong Kong's I.M.P. studio, devoted a great deal of effort to create a soundtrack that was close to the American 1950s. In terms of stage design, Wang Chen, a veteran artist in the industry, uses frames to transform scenes and presents a beautiful stage space with minimalist aesthetics.

"This performance gives the audience a poetic and romantic sensual enjoyment, and at the same time, presents a new angle on marriage in the story," commented a fan on Douban.