The Prince's Revenge, an Ambitous Adaptation of Hamlet

With various showings in western countries, this Peking Opera hasn't been readily available to the domestic audience. Feng Gang attributes this to a wish that people who come and see the show might already have good background knowledge of the Great Dane. 　　

"Our foreign audiences are quite familiar with the story of Hamlet, and they may already have a certain understanding of this particular character. So, when they came to see our interpretation of the work, they pay more attention to how we present the story, and whether the means or techniques that we've adopted are appropriate. I believe it's certainly better to have this basic knowledge of the content before coming to see the performance. And, as a matter of fact, we have spared no efforts in thinking out the best ways to present the whole story and to portray the psychology of the different characters. We have produced this whole performance by purely referring to the techniques applied in Peking Opera, as with our grandiose costumes and original arias. To present a western story in the style of traditional Peking Opera is exactly what we were trying to accomplish. Therefore, the delicate transition between a western story and traditional Chinese technique serves as a kind of focus for the performance."　　

Certainly, with acrobatics, arias, plots and intrigue, the Revenge of the Prince appears to be a successful combination of two cultures. And if you missed the chance to see it during the arts festival, don't worry, as you can catch it again next month, if you happen to near Shanghai. To give the place and the date, the Prince's Revenge will be staged at the Shanghai Yifu Theatre on December 11th.