The director of the production, Lu Po-shen (呂柏伸), has updated the story by infusing the narrative with local patois. Called a "musical form," the language is meant to create vivid images in the minds of audience members. However, the greatest departure from the original work is the addition of a Greek chorus.
Rounding out the festival is Whispers at a tombstone (青塚前的對話) which will be performed by National Guoguang Opera Company (國光劇團) and tells the story of two women that are forced to leave their home towns in different historical periods. The play revolves around the dialogue that might ensue if these women were to meet across time. With an updated script, and superbly directed by Li Xiao-ping (李小平), the sadness of the women's voices should resonate with anyone that has been forced to leave their homeland.
Though many of the themes found in these plays remain true to the Chinese folk tales and history from which they are drawn — with their insistence on filial love and the maintenance of the social order — the fusion of different media as well as diverse dramatic forms brings a satisfyingly updated addition to traditional Chinese theater.
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