They say love makes the world go round and during the New Year's period four Chinese plays about love are being, or will be staged, in small, cozy theaters to warm the hearts of lovers and those seeking romance.  　

The New Year period is always a peak time for the theater especially the smaller venues. On a chilly winter night there's no place more romantic than a 200-seat theater packed with lovers!  　

Four small-theater productions will be staged at the Shanghai Drama Arts Center in January with   the common theme of "love". The initiative is designed to attract more people especially the younger generation.  　　

Translated and adapted from American playwright James Sherman's play of the same name local director Yang Xinwei's latest work "Romance in D" has proved to be another box-office hit since it premiered on December 23.

The play tells of the sweet love story between two neighbors and their parents with a happy ending for both the young and the old couples. The audiences left the theater touched and satisfied because they saw what they wanted to see! 　

"The best shows are those with happy endings as they give me hope of finding true love in the year to come," said Liu Xiao, 28, an office worker. "The play didn't surprise me but it's enjoyable because it's simple and authentic." 　　

This is not the first year the Shanghai Drama Arts Center has staged plays about love during the New Year. At about the same time last year the drama center adapted a popular Internet novel, "The Lover," a bitter-sweet tale of a doomed love affair.

It was so popular that crowds were waiting outside the theater on cold nights just to get better seats. The tickets for the play were sold out. This year five performances of "The Lover" will be staged from January 24 to 28. 　

"Love, the eternal theme, never fails to attract theatergoers, especially during the holiday season," says Huang Yiping from the marketing department of the center. "Compared with others, plays on love especially those small productions, usually win more favor from the audience - we don't need to worry about the box office." 　　

The center will also re-stage its 2006 summertime hit "Love with My Former Wife" in the middle of the month. A complex relationship involving four people the play touches on different levels of the relationships from dating to marriage, from divorce to re-marriage. 　　

Also running in the center is "How Much Love Can Be Messed Up" by a group of amateur dramatists. Definitely not set in a merry mood the play is about the quest to find "the one" and it records the long journey before a young woman finally finds "the one" for her. 　　

After the first round "Romance in D" will be staged at the studio theater of Shanghai Grand Theater for the second round beginning January 27.

"Romance in D"
Date: through January 14, 7:30 PM 　　
Tickets: 100 yuan 　　
Venue: Shanghai Drama Arts Theater, 288 Anfu Rd 　
Date: January 27-28, January 31-February 4, 7:30 PM 　　
Venue: Studio Theater, Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 People's Ave 　

　
"Love With My Former Wife" 　　
Date: January 17-February 3 (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays), 7:15 PM　
Tickets: 100-120 yuan 　　

"The Lover" 　　
Date: January 24-28, 7:15 PM　　
Tickets: 100 yuan 　　

"How Much Love Can Be Messed Up" 　　
Date: through January 20, 7:15 PM 　　
Tickets: 100-280 yuan 　　
Venue: Shanghai Drama Arts Theater, 288 Anfu Rd 　　
Tel: 6473-01234, 6473-4567 　　

(Shanghai Daily January 4, 2007)