Taiwan's Contemporary Legend Theatre (當代傳奇劇場), a Peking opera-inspired stage ensemble, will bring its rendition of "King Lear (李爾在此)” to Madrid on May 27 and 28.
In this reinterpretation of the world's best-known descent into madness, "King Lear” becomes a tour-de-force solo performance that fuses time-honored Peking opera techniques with the classic Shakespearean tale of great power and cruel deception.
Audiences at the Teatros del Canal will be able to see Contemporary Legend front man Wu Hsin-kuo (吳興國) deftly switch between half a dozen different characters in his one-man "King Lear” drama production.
Wu is the co-founder and artistic director of Contemporary Legend. As a trained professional in classical Peking opera and contemporary dance, he is best known for his reinterpretation of Western classic plays.
Using techniques and elaborate costume concepts from Peking opera, Wu has re-imagined and hyper-stylized Kafka's "Metamorphosis,” as well as three other Shakespearean productions — "The Tempest,” "Hamlet,” and "Macbeth.”
Wu's "King Lear” was first conceived with encouragement from French stage director Ariane Mnouchkine in 2001. Fifteen years later, the Peking opera-inspired Shakespearean play will take the stage of Madrid's Theatros del Canal on May 27 and 28.
Wu, whose first performance in Spain was "Kingdom of Desire (慾望城國)” in 1998, will greet Madrid again by simultaneously depicting the maniacal Lear and his ally Gloucester, the three daughters, the pitifully lonesome Fool — in short, the entire cast.
'King Lear' by Contemporary Legend Theatre
- Date: May 27 - 28, 2016
- Venue: Teatros del Canal
- Address: Cea Bermúdez, 1. 28003 Madrid
- Site: www.teatroscanal.com