Shakespeare Sinicized

Colorful costumes dating back to the Han Dynasty (206BC-220), ornate calligraphy adorning the stage's backdrop and Peking Opera-styled prologues; appearances can be deceiving, for this isn't a historical Chinese drama nor a Peking Opera masterpiece. Rather, it's a scene taken from a Chinese adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic play Richard III directed by Wang Xiaoying, vice president of the National Theater of China (NTC). The play will head to London next month for the World Shakespeare Festival (WSF) which begins on April 23, Shakespeare's birthday. It will be staged three times at the festival and return to Chinese theaters in July.

Although it marks Wang's first foray with Richard III, he decided to trail blaze a new path and make his version unique by incorporating Chinese characteristics.

"I saw the original Richard III play last year in Beijing starring [Hollywood actor] Kevin Spacey, which was fabulous and remained true to Shakespeare's original work. However, the WSF is a platform for different countries to showcase their own culture. I believe that other countries will also fuse unique cultural elements into Shakespeare's plays," Wang said.

Rehearsals for the NTC production began after Spring Festival. Wang said audiences can expect Shakespeare, with musing from the Middle Kingdom. "People are already familiar with the traditional portrayal of the Richard III character as insidious, cunning, cruel, hunchbacked and lame. In our version, he is a healthy, handsome man," the director explained.

Wang believes such a portrayal allows his lead actor, Zhang Dongyu, to focus on his character's inner feelings, rather than exerting all his energy into emphasizing idiosyncrasies of the infamous monarch. He even doubts whether the king should be portrayed as disabled at all, citing the lack of historical evidence that supports such depiction.

Three actors from the China National Peking Opera Company play the roles of Lady Anne and two assassins respectively. Their casting means audiences should prepare for falsetto singing renowned in the classic folk art of the capital.

"We also have artist Xu Bing, noted for depicting English letters as Chinese characters. Xu will write 12 words that represent the values of Richard III, including 'power,' 'cunning,' 'hypocrisy' and 'desire,'" Wang said. "This [festival] is a good opportunity for us to promote traditional Chinese culture to the world. I think launching a Chinese version of Richard III will arouse people's interest in Chinese culture."

Zhang gushed he was honored to be cast in the lead role of one of Shakespeare's most treasured plays. "I believe art has no boundaries. By adding Chinese elements to this play, audiences can know our interpretation of Richard III," Zhang said. "People are familiar with the original English script. Our Chinese version offers something fresh and new."

Actress Su Li watched a rehearsal of a still raw Richard III staged last week. As an outsider not cast in the production, she was impressed by what she saw but added there was still room for refinement.

"Rather than focusing on the appearances of Richard III, Wang concentrates more on the inner heart of the cold king. It's refreshing to see how seamlessly the play melds with Peking Opera. I think foreign audiences will enjoy the rendition," Su said.

"The chemistry between actors isn't strong enough at the moment, probably on account of the short time they have had to rehearse. I believe after a month when they visit London, they will have better chemistry and thus produce a more polished performance."