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MacBeth to Be Staged in Form of Peking Opera
Chinese artists will play Shakespeare's MacBeth in Peking Opera costumes in Beijing.
"The Kingdom of Desire", the Peking Opera version of Shakespeare's MacBeth, will be staged from September 26 to 28.
"It is a perfect combination of Shakespeare's classic work and the Chinese traditional art of Peking Opera," said Wu Jiang, head of China Peking Opera Troupe, Friday at a press conference.
"The Kingdom of Desire" has been performed in more than 10 countries including Britain and Germany.
No matter whether people are familiar with Peking Opera or Shakespeare or not, they would love to watch the drama, said one critic.
To make it understandable for the Chinese audience, the story has been transposed to China's Warring States period (475 B.C.- 221 B.C) and MacBeth has been given the Chinese name of Ao Shuzheng in this story adapted 15 years ago by Wu Hsing-kuo, a renowned artist from Taiwan.
Some young artists from the China Peking Opera Troupe will support Wu Hsing-kuo's performance.
There are no characters in this MacBeth that do not appear in Shakespeare's. However, there are elements missing: MacDuff does not appear at all.
In the final scene it may be helpful to know that 'MacBeth's last desperate ploy to rally his troops is done by the telling of a sob story that ends with an embarrassed laugh which is echoed by his soldiers in truly operatic form.
Peking Opera was once a very popular and traditional form of theater perfected in Beijing in the 19th century.
"Artists from Taiwan and the mainland interpret Peking Opera in their own ways," said director Tan, who believes that this helps them promote mutual understanding and develop Peking Opera.
Wu Jiang said that only if Peking Opera absorbs and presents other cultures, can it be universal.
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