(22 Apr 1996) English/Nat
"All the world's a stage," wrote Shakespeare. Whether or not he had the Great Wall of China in mind unfortunately isn't known.
But now one of the Bard's best-known plays is to be staged there.
A mainly amateur cast will give three performances of Hamlet next month, on a section of the Great Wall outside Beijing.
Shakespeare's works have been performed around most of the world. But not so far, it's believed, on China's Great Wall.
That's about to change.
"The Peking Players" -- a mainly amateur group based in the Chinese capital will be putting on three performances of Hamlet next month.
The multinational group includes diplomats, students, and some professional actors.
It's being staged on a section of the Great Wall about three hours out of the city.
Zeba Clarke, the play's director, recalls how the idea came about.
[SOUNDBITE:
"The idea wasn't initially mine, it was the idea of Guy Gobourn who is playing Laertes, and he was spending the night on the Great Wall, looking at the stars, he started speaking 'To be or not to be.' He came up to me and said I think it would be just a great idea to try to do Hamlet on the Great Wall and I said 'Yes, we must,' and he said 'Will you direct?' and I answer 'Yes, definitely.'"
SUPER CAPTION: Zeba Clarke, Director]
Some eighty people will be able to see each performance -- which are being held in one of the Wall's towers.
Interestingly Hamlet himself will be half-Chinese. To help improve the play, the troupe decided to hire 27-year-old Andrew Mallet, a professional English actor.
His mother's Chinese family left for England in 1915.
It's interesting for him, he says, but he doesn't want to overplay the connection.
[SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I supposed to come to China now doing a very English production on a very Chinese wall, being a half-Chinese Shakespearean actor. The symmetries are fascinating, but I don't want to overplay them because I might be accused to be indulgent and self- indulgent."
The play's being sponsored by both local and British companies.
And, among the Peking Players, rumour has it the next play will be Macbeth.
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