A stage scene from the latest interpretation of The Tempest.

Italians realize dream of integrating clowns and acrobats into Shakerspearean tragicomedy, Zhang Kun reports.

Four theaters from China and Denmark have come together to create a new production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, featuring acrobats, live music and a touch of magic.

The English-language version of the show will premiere in Shanghai on Oct 15 and run at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center until the end of the month. After that it will go on tour in Denmark through January and February.

Award-winning director and set designer Giacomo Ravicchio will direct the classic tale of love, revenge and forgiveness. Italy's Ravicchio is the founder and artistic director of Denmark's Meridiano Theater. The Tempest will be a joint production between the Meridiano, the Batida Theater Orchestra, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center and the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe.

Ravicchio's performances are characterized by magic realism, poetry, humor and a visual and cinematic narrative form. He is known to mix classical theater with other artistic forms of expression.

The Tempest tells the tale of Prospero, a powerful wizard who is banished, together with his daughter Miranda, by Prospero's brother, who has conspired against him with the king of Naples.

Prospero has sought refuge on a secluded island inhabited by spirits and nymphs. For 12 years he has developed his magical powers, driven by the thought of winning back mastery of Milan and of avenging himself on his brother.

When the king's ship nears the island, Prospero asks his servant Ariel, a spirit, to summon up a storm causing it to be wrecked. However, Prospero's plans for revenge are thwarted when his daughter meets the king's son, Ferdinand. Their love brings about forgiveness and peace.

For The Tempest, Denmark's Batida Theater Orchestra will bring an ensemble of 10 musicians. Over the last 20 years they have developed a distinctive style blending clarity, humor and the grotesque.

Four acrobats from the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe will add new excitement to the show, and five actors from the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center will assume the leading roles alongside Danish artists.

"I don't think it is very hard to integrate different elements. Diversity is the most interesting thing on this planet," said Ravicchio. "The important thing is to take cultures, stories and styles, and, day after day, feel the crew getting more involved in the project. Only then will you probably get something special."

Ravicchio thought of transforming one of Shakespeare's plays into a circus performance with clowns, acrobats, contortionists, magicians and ringmasters years ago, according to Elise Mller, one of the people managing Meridiano.

"Since 1996 he has mentioned this dream many times," said Muller. "In 2005, his ideas became very concrete and he chose the play that he wished to submit to his visions: The Tempest."

Ravicchio directed White Snake at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center in 2009, a play adapted from a traditional Chinese folk tale. The director boldly explored homosexual themes and added a modern touch to an old story. Audiences were impressed with the ingenious use of technology and digital images in the production.

The latest production of The Tempest was put together in partnership with the Denmark Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo. There will be a 40-minute performance inside the pavilion on Oct 20 or 21, according to the pavilion's director.

The show will be in English, with Chinese subtitles.

7:30 pm, Oct 14-24

Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, 288 Anfu Road

021-6433-4546

120-200 yuan