New town, new togs, new tongue: the Bard boy gets all shook up
A bare stage, contemporary costumes and a Cantonese script aren't generally associated with productions of Hamlet - but that hasn't deterred director Tang Shu-wing from employing those elements in his version of Shakespeare's tragedy.
Tang will be hoping that his show, to be staged by Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts drama students this month, is as successful as his acclaimed student production of Phaedra last May. Keeping such a frequently performed play as Hamlet fresh is always a challenge. Added to which, this is the first time Tang has directed a Shakespeare work.
However, the School of Drama lecturer says every production of Hamlet can be unique - for the performers and for the audience. 'We basically use a bare stage,' he says. 'All we did was a bit of painting. Other than that, there's nothing on the stage - not even any furniture. There won't be any set.'
Acting in such a spartan environment is tough, Tang says, because body movements become pronounced. 'The physical and mental commitment required is a big challenge for the students,' he says. 'At the same time, they've become more engrossed and have more self-awareness.'
Why the minimalist approach? Tang says modern theatre productions sometimes include so many different elements that the importance of the performance and the interaction with the audience is weakened.
'Acting has become very comfortable because actors now have the support of all kinds of other elements.
'If you take away all the stuff on the stage, all you have left are the actors,' he says. 'The interactive communication, the tension and the energy flow between the actors and the audience is what theatre is all about.'
The work has been translated into Cantonese and set locally by author playwright and lyric writer Rupert Chan Kwan-yun. Tang describes the translation as language transformation and says it will be something new for the audience - especially for those already familiar with the Bard's works.
He has also brought in Nelson Samuel Hiu to provide live music accompaniment, playing a number of instruments, including Jew's harp, vertical bamboo flute and hand drums. Tang says the music will help strengthen the play's rhythm and add tension.
Tang says he's been wanting to stage a work of Shakespeare's for years. 'He's unique. There are a lot of layers in his plays. You can find all the human experience in Shakespeare's works.'
And Hamlet is one of his favourite plays. 'Hamlet has a lot of layers. It can provoke more of our imagination than Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, which are all excellent works.'
He says young people often relate better to Hamlet than other Shakespeare plays. 'It talks about young people's aspiration, their aggressiveness, their hesitation and their problems.'
Tang says he's glad of the opportunity to stage the play with his students. 'When compared with professional actors, students are more willing to try new things and they still haven't developed much of their own acting style,' he says.
'I can see their improvement because of the training on a bare stage, and they should now have more confidence in coping with other productions.'
For his part, Tang says he plans to continue with his bare-bones approach. 'Next time, I may choose to stage a comedy in the minimalist way.'
Hamlet, Academy Studio Theatre, Jan 16-21, 7.45 pm (plus 2.45pm, Jan 21), $45-$90, HK Ticketing. Inquiries: 31 288 28
