Lots of great-sounding, great-looking theater events coming in Shanghai in the next few weeks -- a few lovely musicals, a political-ish piece written and directed by Hollywood A-lister Tim Robbins, and the return of the Shanghai ACT International Theater Festival. Here's what's going on for... oh say the next year and a half. Details after the jump.

*** November 10 - November 13: Harlequino: On to Freedom

Photo credit: The Actors' Gang

A production by The Actors’ Gang and written by Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins, Harlequino: On to Freedom is set in both 1530 and 2016, and is a play that tells the story of an itinerant group of actors that hijack a lecture and slide show on the Commedia dell’Arte. The play questions how history is written, what is funny, when is a servant a slave, and why are we still in this discussion today? Why indeed! November 12 - November 12: Children's Theater: Guess How Much I Love You

Photo credit: Margo Ellen Gesser

Canadian theater company, Mermaid Theater of Nova Scotia bring two children's plays for younger theater goers. Guess How Much I Love You is the story of a little hare and a big hare competing to see who loves each other more. "The story is full of imagination and joy, with adorable hares and vivid characters." In I Love My Little Storybook, an eager little bunny lies on the grass and opens his book, and within moments, the story he’s reading comes alive in fascinating detail. From illustrator Anita Jeram comes this endearing celebration of the joy of reading. The show features innovative puppetry, scenic effects, and original music. *** ACT Shanghai International Theater Festival ACT Shanghai International Theater Festival is an annual international theatrical event inviting theater groups from around the world to perform in Shanghai. The festival is aimed at promoting original works with spirit of the age and new interpretations of classics. Six pieces in total from theater groups from HK, the UK, Denmark, and beyond. -November 13 - November 15: Kraken Acclaimed, stream-of-consciousness idiocy -- this idiocy is acclaimed -- from the master of mime, Trygve Wakenshaw. (No dialogue.) -November 22 - Novemeb24: Oh No! A psychedelic ride, and a wonky homage to the woman damned for destroying the Beatles, O No! borrows Yoko Ono’s art instructions to ask whether falling in love is always catastrophic. A sell-out success and one of the most talked about shows of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015. (English Dialogue; Chinese Subtitles.) -November 18 - November 20: Titus Andronicus 2.0 A work of physical theater in storytelling form with an audacious and ground-breaking theater directing approach -- a Cantonese reinvention of a Shakespearean classic. (Cantonese Dialogue; subtitles in English and Chinese.) -November 26 - November 27: So It Goes "Hannah has always wanted to talk about her dad. But in the seven years since he died, she hasn’t quite managed it. Not one to be defeated, she’s enlisted her friend David to help her on a journey through memory, laughter and sorrow." Frank, funny and endlessly inventive, So It Goes explores the light and dark sides of grief, in a playful and deeply personal show. (Mime performance.) -December 2 - December 4: The Flood With a reputation across five continents for theater that is provocative, moving, genre-defying and unique, Finucane & Smith Unlimited bring to the Shanghai International Theater Festival its first original Australian drama, the haunting Australian Gothic The Flood. (English Dialogue; Chinese Subtitles.) -December 7 - December 11: BLAM! To escape their tedious 9-to-5 jobs, four ingenious office workers invent BLAM! – an imaginary game where ordinary life is put through the shredder. Presented by the Kristján Ingimarsson Company of Denmark. (No dialogue.) *** December 13 - January 15: Mozart! The Musical Mozart! The Musical, by the team of Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, throws light on the world’s most famous composer both as a historical human being and as a legendary figure of classical music. A youth-oriented, contemporary take on the figure, Mozart! is already a world traveled musical, delighting audiences around the globe. Note: The performance is in German with English and Chinese subtitles. January 30 - February 3: Ghost The Musical "Believe in Love. Believe in Each Other. Believe in Forever.” Yes, it’s a musical adaptation of that Ghost, with Patrick Swayze. Do you need to be sold even more? "Funny, touching, brilliant." Adapted for the stage by Bruce Joel Rubin, Ghost is directed by Matthew Warchus. The production is a smash international it — it’s been nominated for five Olivier Awards including Best Musical and three Tony Awards and was recently voted the ninth best musical of all time in a radio survey. It has now sold over million tickets world-wide. Because it’s Ghost. *** Looking ahead to the distant, distant, distant future, award-wining Broadway musical Wicked is coming to Shanghai in April, 2017. Fantastico! Tickets for that one are available next week. Doing anything in like 9 months?