"King Lear" returns to Chinese stage

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- An acclaimed Chinese production of William Shakespeare's classic "King Lear" has returned to the prime theater in Beijing.

The play, directed by Li Liuyi and starring veteran theatrical actor Pu Cunxin, is being staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) for a second round of eight performances through Jan. 28, 2018.

Its debut, which contained 12 performances, was staged in January 2017.

"King Lear" was the NCPA's third performance of a Shakespeare play, after "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Hamlet."

The production uses a new translation from the Royal Shakespeare Company(RSC) translation project, which aims to make Shakespeare's works "most suitable" for a modern Chinese audience, according to the director.

Li and some of the cast crew have rehearsed and trained with the RSC in Britain, the NCPA said. German-born Michael Simon and Oscar-winning Japanese Emi Wada have joined the team as the set and costume designers.

"King Lear," one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, is based on the legend of power struggle in an ancient Celtic royal family. The plot reveals the dark-sides of humanity: greed, deception, betrayal, moral corruption and provokes much of the soul-searching.

The play has been widely adapted for the stage worldwide.

Pu, who plays the title role of the NCPA's production, was commended for his good control of speech that rendered his representation of King Lear unique. Enditem