Shamlet

I found an adaptation of Hamlet created by a theater group called Ping-Fong called Shamlet. This is a Taiwanese play about a theater group call Fing-Pong. This plays out like Hamlet with many deaths at the end but instead of it being a royal family it is a group of actors. The director, Lee Kuo-Hsiu, used the 1990 movie version as inspiration for his play.

I haven't read Hamlet other than a short summary but based on a review by the Taipei Times, Shamlet follows an acting group as they travel through Taiwan except their differences get in the way of their performances causing fighting. Just like Hamlet, Shamlet contains a play within the play. I couldn't manage to find the script of Shamlet but based on the description, I like how it's not only incorporating a modern, comical twist on Hamlet but also bringing it to a foreign audience in a way they can connect to it.

Another difference that makes this appealing to me is that it takes the same themes and story components from Hamlet but presents it as a comedy instead of tragedy. It's the directors personal foreign spin on the play but still pays homage to Shakespeare through the title and certain components.


Sources:
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/04/07/2003301473
http://globalshakespeares.mit.edu/blog/2014/07/20/western-influence-on-asian-theatre-taiwan/