Since it premiered July 9, a challenging new version of a classic Chinese play has seen dozens of people walk out. As staged at the Avignon festival, the set features a huge 4-ton wheel, symbolizing history crushing the Chinese people. Lao She's epic "Teahouse," recounting the tumultuous first five decades of the 20th century through three generations of a Chinese family, was one of Avignon's most hotly anticipated shows.

One of the first victims of the Cultural Revolution, Lao is a mythic figure in Chinese theater.

Lao's characters were "strong individualists," said the director, who sees a "deep link" with Chinese society today.

...