‘Monologues’ halted in Shanghai

The curtain has fallen on Eve Ensler’s controversial but internationally acclaimed women’s rights play, “The Vagina Monologues,” in China’s most cosmopolitan city before it had even begun.

Despite reports that the play had been killed by a jittery government, Shanghai city officials insisted Tuesday there were unrelated problems.

“Research shed light on some problems with the play,” said a spokesman for the Shanghai Drama Center, adding that it may be staged in the future. “It’s our own problem, not the government’s.”

The play had been due to open in Shanghai on Tuesday and run for a month, marking its first performance in Chinese to the general public. The city’s Cultural Bureau declined comment.

The play is going ahead in the conservative capital, Beijing, with a scheduled opening on Friday.