Monday, January 09 08:30pm to 09:45pm
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021
I, Hamlet is a virtuous re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a one-man contemporary performance starring Chinese opera star Zhang Jun. Rewritten in ancient Chinese prose and sung in the classical techniques of Chinese Kunqu opera, I, Hamlet juxtaposes Chinese and Western art forms. Adapting the Kunqu Opera style of monologue, Jun plays four roles – Hamlet, Ophelia, the ghost of Hamlet’s father and the gravedigger, while also drawing on traditional Chinese opera characters known as Sheng (male roles), Dan (female roles), Jing (painted roles) and Chou (clowns). Going beyond the story itself, this re-interpretation explores the inner world of Hamlet, as he battles with forces of light and darkness, life and death, love and revenge.
In Chinese with English subtitles.
Free Admission! www.asiasociety.org