Veteran Chinese actor Sha Yi and actress Hu Ke will play the roles of the Wheelers. They will bring a sense of realism to the roles as Sha and Hu are husband and wife.

Hu, 44, was once a TV host and then turned her hand to acting in TV dramas. In 2018, she played the lead role of Cui Ping in the Chinese play Qian Fu (To Lurk), which was based on a popular TV drama of the same name. The play, which was also directed by Jiang, toured the country and staged 100 shows.

Sha, 41, is known for playing roles in TV dramas and movies.

"I didn't have much experience in theater after graduation, so when I played the role of Frank, it made me feel like a new actor," says Sha, who studied acting in Beijing from 1997 to 2001.

"I was impressed by the portrayal of the dullness of conformity in the novel as well as the couple's yearning for something more," says Sha. "Both my wife and I don't like to bring work home but this play made us very excited. We loved to talk about it."

Hu and Sha have been married for 10 years and have two sons. "There are many couples like us, who live a stable and secure life. It takes courage to acknowledge the emptiness and hopelessness as April Wheeler does in the story," Hu says.

The play will be staged in Shanghai in November before touring around the country.

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