Retreading the Bard

Li says his production will "be loyal to the original", though he did move Hamlet's famous opening soliloquy to the end of the play. The adaptation will also feature a recital of the line "To be, or not to be? That is the question," in six interpretations to show the differing views that translators have of the story.

"Each translator has made his or her personal interpretation. They have provided the guide for me to understand the play, and discover the ideas of Shakespeare," says Li. "The Chinese language has evolved over the decades, and ideas have changed. We wanted to make a new production for a contemporary Chinese audience."

The main translator for the play, Li Jianming, has already received praise for her work. According to a Beijing News review-the production premiered at the National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing in December-Li Jianming's work is "extremely well suited to live performance".

The director picked Chinese actor Hu Jun to play the role of Hamlet. Li Liuyi says Hu is the best contemporary Chinese actor for the role because of his involvement with theater productions before he became famous for portraying heroic characters in martial arts shows.

The director also made the bold decision to have Lu Fang, who happens to be Hu's wife, to play the roles of Ophelia and Gertrude. In some scenes, these two characters appear on stage at the same time, requiring Lu to shift between two roles without a change in outfit.