Northeast Chinese folk entertainer Zhao Benshan, owner of Liulaogen Stage, during a show. [Chen Mo / for China Daily]

Comedians from Northeast China have gained popularity among local audiences as well as visiting folk fans

Tickets to the Liulaogen Stage, one of the most famous Northeast China folk entertainment performances in town, are hard to come by. After a full year of being open in Chongwen district, Liulaogen Stage has grossed more than 60 million yuan from full house sellouts every night. And getting hold of an elusive pass is tricky, with the best bet being a scalper - but watch out, prices increase five-fold.

The theater managers said their maximum daily business volume was more than 170,000 yuan.

In addition to the show, Liulaogen Stage has also boosted businesses close to the theater - in particular dining, accommodation and shopping outlets.

The district government estimated the show has stimulated spending in the area by up to 300 million yuan during the past year.

Related readings:  Crosstalk comedian pulls no punches about rivals

Due to the significant contribution toward the local economy, Chongwen district government plans to cooperate with Zhao Benshan, a popular Northeast Chinese folk entertainer and the owner of Liulaogen Stage, to create TV dramas.

The 300-seat theater cost 30 million yuan to build in May 2009. Tickets are now priced from 380 yuan to 680 yuan.

"Zhao undertook a lot of research before launching the Beijing theater," said Liu Shuangping, general manager of the Liulaogen Stage.

Liu said they first decided to hold 10 shows in the Beijing Exhibition Center to test the market.

"We were confident about the result but never expected it to be that good," he said.

The show was based on Northeast China folk culture and included several regional dialects.

"They laughed out loud after every joke in the show. Beijing audiences enjoyed it in the same way as those at our Shenyang theater - our main base, in Liaoning province," Liu said.

He said most members of the Chongwen theater's audience were not Beijing residents, thanks to the capital's diverse population range.

"Our show has now been accepted by all the people in China and stepped over the barriers of language and culture," he added.

One of the big stars from Liulaogen Stage is Xiaoshenyang, known for his 15-minute sketch in the 2009 China Central Television Spring Festival Gala.

"We release our acting list just before each show, so the audience gets a real treat if they learn that Xiaoshenyang is included," Liu said.

"He's not there very often, but we focus on working as a team, rather than promoting a particular performer."

There were also rumors that many interesting sexual stories were cut from the Beijing show, despite being accepted in other cities.

"The show in Beijing is similar to what we present in other cities, such as Shenyang," Liu said.

Despite the possible softer approach, the stage in Chongwen district still manages to add in enough local flavors to please Beijing audiences.

"We changed some local locations in our dialogue, such as turning Zhongjie into Chongwenmen, to make our audiences feel closer to the stories," Liu said.

The Liulaogen Stage was often compared with Deyunshe, a crosstalk performance from Tianjin that is another popular show in the capital.

Competition aside, Liu remains positive about their share of the entertainment market in Beijing.

"All the performance groups in Beijing know each other, which helps us to improve our shows," Liu said.

METRO