Innocent until proven guilty? Not with friends like these ...

Imagine you've been accused of murder. All the evidence points to your guilt - but you didn't commit the crime. Even your closest friends doubt your innocence.

Such is the nightmare faced by Ah Moon, the protagonist of Anything but Friendship. Jointly written by Carmen Lo Ching-man and Cheung Fei-fan, this Cinematic Theatre production (in Cantonese) looks at the relation between so-called facts and the truth.

Lo, who also directs the play, says the drama is partly inspired by a line from the musical Man of La Mancha: 'Facts are the enemy of truth.' 'I don't dare to judge whether facts are really the enemy of truth, but facts are not necessarily the truth,' says Lo.

To illustrate her point, she and Cheung created a drama that revolves around five women in their 30s. Ah Moon is a charming secondary-school teacher whose best friends include an introverted writer, a wealthy housewife and mother, a divorced lawyer and an independent business executive.

They all used to play on the same school basketball team and have stayed friends. Then one Christmas, Ah Moon is arrested for killing one of her students - a teenage boy with whom she's said to have had an affair. The accusation puts Ah Moon - and her friendships - to the test.

Lo says much of the drama focuses on the dilemma the friends face. 'They have to ignore all the facts in front of them if they're to believe Ah Moon. But if they choose to trust the facts, that means they'll have to negate a friend they've known for more than 10 years.'

The play is a good opportunity for the five actresses. Cheng Gi-gi plays the lead, and Emily Cheng Yee-chai (On and On Theatre programme director) is the friend who betrays her. The cast also includes Annie Ling Siu-on, Ying Shu and Judy Kwok Wai-fun.