SINGAPORE: Shakespeare's play 'King Lear' is adapted for Asian audiences

Record ID: 704657

  • Title: SINGAPORE: Shakespeare's play 'King Lear' is adapted for Asian audiences
  • Date: 2nd February 1999
  • Summary: SINGAPORE (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS DRESS REHEARSAL OF PAN ASIAN KING LEAR
  • Embargoed: 17th February 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Singapore
  • Country: Singapore
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVABO9V8S2EU5SPQ0FHZ34B7PE1F
  • Story Text: Elizabethan period movies, set in sixteenth century England, have been queening this year's Golden Globes awards.
    Anything with a four-hundred year dateline -- such as the controversial costume drama "�ƒï¿½‰lizabeth", and the gently humourous "Shakespeare in Love" -- are in vogue on the big screen.Now Elizabeth-mania has passed to Asia, with the staging of Shakespeare's King Lear.But in this adaptation, traditional boundaries have been broken and the play instead has a distinct flavour of the East.
    An unusual production of Shakespeare's King Lear has been packing in audiences in Asia -- giving multiculturalism a whole new aspect.
    In this pan- Asian production of Lear, Japanese Noh drama, Peking opera, gamelan music, Minangkabau prayers and four languages (Bahasa Indonesia, Japanese, Mandarin and Thai) all have a place.
    Shakespeare might not recognize this multi-cultural version of his play.The only thing about this production that resembles the Elizabethan-era original is the storyline: an ambitious princess' patricidal schemes lead to bloodshed and the destruction of her father's kingdom.
    This unique production features a world class cast from China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore in a magical Asian reworking.
    Boasting stunning production design and the haunting melodies of Indonesian gamelan music, the production has been lauded on its Asia tour.
    Lear, or Old Man in this play, is played by Japanese Noh actor Naohiko Umewaka.Peking-opera performer Jiang Qihu plays the role of the devious Older Daughter, while Thai classical dancer and choreographer Peeramon Chomdhavat plays the Younger Daughter.In this version, the elder daughter murders her sister, father and a couple of retainers, but is ultimately forgiven by her mother's ghost.
    Indonesian martial arts also have a role in the production, with royal attendants incorporating the moves into modern dance steps.
    The play's producers are hopeful that the multicultural approach will increase the production's appeal - even though subtitles are required to translate the four languages.During rehearsals translators were on hand so that the actors could communicate with each other and the director.
    The production has been hailed as a milestone in Asian theatre, setting the stage for more pan- Asia collaborations.
    Lear's journey really began three years ago, when TheatreWorks Artistic Director Ong Keng Sen, a Singaporean, and Japanese playwright Rio Kishida were brought together by the Japan Foundation Asia Centre.
    Ong wanted to retell King Lear from the point of view of a female playwright.Rio Kishida, known in Japan for exploring the position of women in history, was approached.
    Ong and Kishida agreed that the stress in this Asian version would be on the position of the Elder Daughter, with King Lear downplayed, and hence the title of "Lear".Although the story was told from the perspective of two women, Ong deliberately cast male actors to play the two daughters.
    Apart from tackling gender and age issues in the play, Ong's Lear has a politicized edge.Ong says it reflects the struggle of Asia with the legacy of powerful father figures like China's Mao and Indonesia's Suharto.
    Ong also says the hybrid approach was inspired by the culture of Singapore itself and its lack of homogeneity.
    Singapore has four languages and Ong says this "schizophrenic"
    culture guided him through the production.
    Lear premiered in Tokyo in September 1997 to critical acclaim, and is now on a month-long Asian tour.It played to an appreciative audience at the Hong Kong Arts Festival in January, and is currently playing five sell-out shows in Singapore.Lear will play in Jakarta and finish off the Asian tour at the Festival of Perth from February 13-18.
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