In her interpretation, the Green Snake represents the animal part. "Like your inner self," Zhou says during a sharing session at Shanghai Library East earlier this year.

In the production, she presents Lady White Snake as an urban housewife troubled by mental illness who gains more humanity as the story passes through centuries and becomes morally disciplined. "I want her to answer to the call of her inner self, the Green Snake, and be brave and break boundaries," she says.

For the US debut, artistic director Tan will lead an international team of creators and performers. The music, stage design and costumes will be readjusted to the technical demands of the David H. Koch Theater.