The bard turns east

Last month, the likely discovery of his bones underneath a car park in Leicester in the UK made headline news around the world. And the fascination that Richard III still exerts on us is in no small part to Shakespeare's portrayal of this doomed English king. But few interpretations of the murderous hunchback have been as novel as that created by director Wang Xiaoying for the National Theatre of China.

In this production, Richard (played by Zhang Dongyu) speaks Putonghua, wears Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) clothing and the action follows the conventions of Peking Opera.

Excessive ambition

"But unlike the original, my character has no physical defects," Wang said. "Reshaping this character, I just want to tell a universal story of a man's excessive ambition, how that ambition controls him, and how he is ultimately destroyed by that ambition."

The production has come about because of an invitation from London's Shakespeare's Globe, the theater that has long been associated with Shakespeare's works. As one of 37 invited directors from all around the world, Wang was asked to produce one of the Bard's 37 plays and which was premiered at the World Shakespeare Festival for the London 2012 Festival in April this year. The production will be restaged in November as part of the 14th Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Xu Xiaozhong, artistic director of the National Theatre of China expressed his approval of Wang's production, especially the idea of making Richard a physically healthy man. "The adaptation can more clearly show the king's obviously sick mind," Xu said.

Wang told the Global Times that Shakespeare's Globe demanded little of him except to name the play he would be producing. "However, I knew that they didn't want a straightforward retelling of the play. Today, the significance of Shakespeare's theater goes far beyond the time of Shakespeare and also the UK. It transcends time and space and covers the whole world. That is why the Shakespeare's Globe named this project as 'Globe to Globe.'"

Universal story

Wang admits that, although telling a universal story, he was also keen to use the opportunity to promote Chinese culture on the international stage. So the characters all wear Han Dynasty costumes, and the backdrop is made from rice paper and features calligraphy and traditional Chinese paintings.

"We've also used elements of Peking Opera, Chinese percussion instruments and martial arts," said Wang. "I regard it as a cross-cultural theater work."

He stated that he wants to target, not only Chinese, but also Western audiences. "Today, many Chinese stage productions still follow the principle of 'telling our own story in our own way.' However, to promote your productions on the international stage, it is important to know what kind of stories are accessible for audiences around the world." he said.

Date: November 2 to 4, 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Art Theater 藝海劇院

Address: 466 Jiangning Road 江寧路466號

Tickets: 100 to 500 yuan

Call 6256-8282 for details