SHAKESPEARE

Alternative title

Hamlet

Synopsis

Video recording of a stage production directed by Lin Zhaohua.. Three actors play Hamlet and Claudius interchangably.

Language

Chinese - Mandarin (PRC)

Country

China

Medium

Multimedia; Video

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Credits

Director

Ming Ren; Zhaoha Lin

Production Design

Wang Yin; Zeng Li

Cast

Pu Cunxi	Hamlet
Pu Cunxi	Claudius
Chen Xiaoyi	Ophelia

Additional Details

Theatre company

Lin Zhaohua Theatre Studio

Production type

Stage Recordings

Historical period

Contemporary

Plays

Hamlet

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Doubling of roles

Notes

Notes

The production can be watched at
http://web.mit.edu/shakespeare/asia/collections/catalogue2.html (accessed 9/2010)

General

A production in Huaju, a form of Chinese drama with spoken dialogue rather than the sung poetic dialogue of traditional Chinese dramatic forms.

"Lin Zhaohua’s Hamlet had no use for Westernized make-up, wigs, prosthetic noses, or "doublet and hose" costumes. In their place were the urban clothes and natural faces of contemporary China, bringing Shakespeare’s characters into the performers’ own world. The style of acting was less demonstrative and more natural than was customary in main-stream productions. The performers did not try to represent "giants" or "clowns," "heroes" or "villains." Nor did they attempt to give audiences any signals denoting the "progressive forces" or "reactionary forces" as orthodox Chinese scholarship tended to demand. Gone too was the elaborate set. The only permanent prop in the production was a barber’s chair which symbolized at different times the throne, a bed or a rock near Ophelia’s grave. The stage was covered by a huge creased floor-cloth, above which five worn-out ceiling fans constantly rotated. In the duel scene, these ceiling fans were lowered to take part in the fight" http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/Criticism/shakespearein/china4.html {accessed 9/2010).

History

Date of recording not known but the production was revived in 1994.

Textual information

Screenplay and translation by Li Jianming.

Archive

Name

Shakespeare Performance In Asia

Web

http://web.mit.edu/shakespeare/asia/ External site opens in new window