现代版《哈姆雷特》献演申城 - 2016年04月15日

DANCERS from the Shanghai Ballet will bring Shakespeare's Hamlet and his famous "to be or not to be" monologue onto the stage over the weekend in a new ballet theater that will premier at Shanghai Grand Theater.
The thrilling tragedy about conspiracy, revenge and love will be performed tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and stars Shanghai Ballet principal dancers Wu Husheng and Fan Xiaofeng. It marks the fourth cooperation between Shanghai Ballet and British choreographer Derek Deane.
Known for his classic ballet choreographies like "Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake," Deane said that he decided to work on Hamlet both to reward himself and to face a new challenge.
"I want to create something about real people, not just fairy tales. And Hamlet fits my expectation perfectly," Deane said. As opposed to some of his previous works, the characters in the story are all human beings who struggle with their emotions, from the young prince seeking revenge for the killing of his father, the queen torn between her new husband and her son, and an innocent girl who is caught up in the events.
“There is so much in this story that can be staged, such as love, hate, passion, desire, murder and suicide, rather than some one-dimensional princess in a fairy tale who only needs to pose beautifully in a tutu,” Deane said, adding that working on Hamlet will be physically and emotionally challenging for the dancers.
"We are in an age when people want to see many technically demanding skills, which makes ballet quite a gymnastic show today. But in fact, ballet can be very strong in expressing emotions. I told my partners that our work this time must be an emotionally strong one," Deane said.
"The story of Hamlet is so universal that it can be told anywhere, in any language and any art form," Deane said. "I never intended to tell the whole story.... What I do is to bring out all the important emotions in Hamlet without actually spelling out what has happened. I want the audience to use their imagination, get involved and feel themselves in the production rather than just watch something happen on the stage."
The story will be told from Hamlet's view, exhibiting what he sees and feels.
In the two-hour show, Hamlet never leaves the stage, making it a very demanding role, said Wu, the principal dancer. "There are a great number of solo dances for Hamlet to exhibit his monologue and hesitation. It is a great challenge for me to precisely deliver the emotions through my movements," he said. He read Hamlet before, but said that since the rehearsal started, he began to see the character in a new light.
"Wu is a great dancer. He is intense, quiet and so involved with the music, emotions and the character," Deane said, "He doesn't speak much, but he thinks and listens, which is very good."
The production features classic ballet choreography, but also uses neo-classic and contemporary ballet to express different emotions.
Lez Brotherston, the stage and costume designer, has created a "real" environment for the prince.
Known for his work in Matthew Bourne's innovative "Sleeping Beauty," "Swan Lake" and "Cinderella," Brotherston has a feel for setting stages for emotional conflicts.
A six-meter-high, two-story castle featuring black, grey and white as primary colors serves the major stage for the ballet. Most of the flashy court scene will happen on the second floor, while Hamlet is often in the dark wide room on the first floor, isolated.
"We found a way to avoid fairy tale presentation, and creating a space that reflects Hamlet's mental space," Brotherston said. "It is a big, lonely and empty place which the court can observe from above."
The costume for each character is carefully designed to reflect their inner world. For example, Hamlet will wear a black suit jacket as he mourns for his father, but paired with jeans, which makes the prince a modern young man who breaks away from restrictions. “Designing for ballet is not window-dressing. It is not just about making it beautiful, but a catalysts which motivates the actions, and brings audiences into the story,” Brotherston said.
All the music in the ballet was selected and adapted by Michael England from Tchaikovsky's works such as "Hamlet Fantasy Overture" and "Incidental Music for Hamlet." Each main character is given a particular theme melody.
"We worked out an emotional map which sets particular emotions for each scene and character, while England helped us find all the music that fits into the slots," Deane said. "Of course, there were repeated modification, but it was a fun process."
The British musician will conduct Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra live for the ballet premiere in Shanghai.
Date: April 15-16, 7:15pm
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater
Address: 300 People's Ave
Tickets: 80-680 yuan
Tel: 400-106-8686