Description

A reflection on family and the power of a nation, this elegant and cerebral drama explores the disquietude of Shanghai and its residents in the wake of Tiananmen Square and the return of Hong Kong to mainland China. Frenchtown follows the story of Tess, an American archivist and longtime Shanghai resident; DJ, a Canadian writer looking for his ancestral home in the old French Concession; James, a boozy, gruff war hero searching for his estranged son; and Sam, a Xinhua journalist who clings to his unshakeable faith in China’s ultimate and glorious destiny. The result is a study of the complex cultural, political, and emotional battles fought in Shanghai during a time of great uncertainty.

About the Author

Lawrence Jeffery is the author and playwright of numerous works, including Four Plays and Who Look in Stove. He is the cofounder and director of the Impossible Odds Foundation, which raises money to support children from around the world. He lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Praise For…

“One of our most cerebral and subtle playwrights, and almost the only one to specialize in chronicling Canada’s upper classes.”  —Ray Conologue, Globe and Mail

“Jeffery writes with spare elegance . . . on the page it looks curiously naked, but on the stage it achieves a cool life that is quite entrancing.”  —Dave Carley, American Theatre magazine