EALING actor Matt Lim is appearing in the stage adaptation of the Chinese fairytale, The Butterfly Lovers, at the Blue Elephant Theatre, Southwark, in April.

Often compared to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, The Butterfly Lovers is set in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and tells the tragic tale of two lovers.

Aimed at children aged 5-9, Matt said: “There's just the right balance between silliness and earnestness.

“There's slapstick, pantomime villains and some terrible jokes – just what you're looking for in a kids show!”

The Butterfly Lovers is Blue Elephant Theatre’s first children’s production since Noah’s Ark in 2011. Noah's Ark was shortlisted for offwestend.com’s award for Best Production for Young People.

Matt Lim, who is playing Mr Ma and Zhu’s father, says the legend is so well-known in China it will be exciting to share it with children of different cultures.

In August, he plans to perform in Jack the Ripper musical-comedy Jack & I at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and share 30 minutes of stand-up comedy.

The Butterfly Lovers runs from Saturday, April 5 to Saturday, April 19, with school matinees on April 1 and 2.

The show will start at 2pm, with additional performances at 5pm on Sundays April 6 and 13 and the final day.

Tickets are £4.50 or £3 to Southwark residents.

To buy tickets and see directions visit The Blue Elephant Theatre website