Stories within stories; dreams within dreams. An idealistic doctor loses most of her patients on a harrowing first day and is forced to confront the inevitability of life and death. She sets out to comfort her remaining patient, who begins to weave an intricate tale of many lives - a lonely waitress in Paris, an alluring Shanghainese courtesan and a French diplomat -inextricably connected across time and space through cycles of love, suffering and transcendence.

This exceptional theatrical experience offers audiences the opportunity to take in the performance in a specially created seating area described by director Stan Lai as the ''Lotus Pond''. A unique addition to the regular seating in the Esplanade Theatre, the ''Lotus Pond'' places a select portion of the audience in the middle of a two-storey high stage, allowing an immersive 360-degree view of the performance, as the story unfolds around them.

The play features a cast of 29 established performers from China and Taiwan including Summer Qing (许晴), King Shihchieh (金士杰), Shi Ke (史可), Hugh Hu (胡歌), pop star Chris Lee (李宇春), Sun Qiang (孙强) and Tan Zhuo (谭卓). Oscar-winning costume designer Tim Yip (叶锦添) provides the specially created wardrobe containing over 400 costumes for more than 100 characters in the production.

First staged in Taiwan in 2000 to critical acclaim, A Dream Like A Dream has captivated thousands in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, and finally makes it way to Singapore for the first time for Huayi - Chinese Festival of Arts.

Co-produced by Performance Workshop, Beijing Magnificent Culture Co. Ltd, and Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.