The first stage adaptation of the "Three-Body Problem," a Hugo Award-winning novel penned by Liu Cixin, has finally debuted, the Global Times reported.
The show, produced by Lotus Lee Drama Studio, premiered at the Shanghai Culture Square.
Liu, who served as the production supervisor of the multi-media stage drama adaptation, lauded the project, saying that it was an "astounding experience for the eyes," the article said.
"Drama has been a time-honored art with thousands of years of history, while sci-fi is very modern and often talks about a new upcoming world. Combine them together and you get a great chemical reaction," Liu stated.
"It's very impressive to see these sci-fi scenes being reproduced on the stage through this technology, which is more powerful than what I've seen on TV or cinema screens," the 52-year-old novelist added.
The production cost tallied to over 10 million yuan for the studio to stage the imaginative scenes from the hit novel. The features of the adaptation included 3D mapping and hovering drones.
The two-hour show, which covered the first book from the trilogy, is also the first of the series that will be dramatized on stage.
The "Three-Body Problem" follows the story of scientist Wang Miao, who becomes involved with a secret group called Three-Body.
"The organization was founded by Ye Wenjie, an old scientist who sent signals to an extraterrestrial civilization decades ago during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) in the hopes that the aliens can come and save humanity from itself," the Global Times said.
For Liu Fangqi, the play's director, the most impressive feature of the novel was its ability to provoke men to ponder upon human existence and the universe.
Though the stage drama slightly veered away from the Liu's presentation in the novel, it still managed to receive positive reviews from its viewers.
The show will be staged in Shanghai until June 11. It is slated to be performed in other key Chinese cities for around 100 more shows.
Meanwhile, a film adaptation of the hit Liu trilogy is also underway.