Inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Tang Xianzu's mythical romance The Peony Pavilion, The Dreamer is a collaboration between British physical theatre group Gecko and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre which blends shadow theatre with live music, comedy and melodrama.
Performed by an all-Chinese cast and told primarily through movement and some spoken English and Mandarin, The Dreamer tells the story of a girl, Helena, who escapes her boring reality and the social pressure of finding a husband through sleeping. There, she finds the man of dreams, literally. She then spends the rest of the play fighting to make him a reality, which is obviously pretty complicated and involves a lot of cool theatrics.
The East meets West fusion play has been well received internationally, with the British Theatre Guide calling The Dreamer "one show that should be on the top of your list to see this year."