Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Opera House

Dates: June 24-25, 2017

SynopsisHamlet, Prince of Denmark, has not succeeded his father as King. On the throne is his uncle Claudius, who married Queen Gertrude immediately, upon the death of her husband, the first King Hamlet. At midnight the ghost of the dead King appears to his son on the battlements of the castle and commands revenge. Hamlet, unsure at first, simulates madness and asks for a performance of a play with a plot much like his father's murder, so that he can see how the King responds. Claudius, deeply alarmed, plans to send Hamlet to England. However, before Hamlet leaves, he kills Polonius (the father of Ophelia, the woman Hamlet loves) who is hiding behind a curtain in Gertrude's room.

Two messengers conduct Hamlet towards the voyage to England, bearing letters that order his death when he arrives. Ophelia's brother Laertes, enraged by the news of his father's death, finds that his sister is helplessly mad, and swears to kill Hamlet. Ophelia drowns herself, and Hamlet returns to Denmark in time for her burial. Later, at a fencing match where Laertes seeks to stab Hamlet with a poisoned rapier, both men are wounded. Queen Gertrude drinks, in error, the poisoned wine Claudius has prepared for Hamlet. Laertes and Gertrude die; Hamlet, after killing Claudius, collapses in the arms of his friend Horatio and dies.

Presenter: Shanghai Ballet

The Shanghai Ballet was formally renamed in 1979 at the base of The White-haired Girl performing team. Ballet The White-haired Girl won the Gold Medal of the Best Classical Dance Works of the 20th Century in China, which helped establish the Ballet’s predominant position in ballet circle in China.

With a history of 30 year, the Shanghai Ballet created and staged ballets Jane Eyre (Patrick de BANA),The Butterfly Lovers (XIN Lili), A Sigh of Love (Bertrand d’At), Echoes of Eternity (Patrick de BANA), Hamlet (Derek Deane), The Last Mission of Marco Polo (Jose Martinez), and Shanghai Grand Theatre’s version The Nutcracker (Derek Deane). Besides, the repertoire of the company includes Swan Lake (Derek Deane), Romeo and Juliet (Derek Deane), Coppelia (Pierre Lacotte), La Sylphide (Jean-Paul Gravier), The Nutcracker (Tetsutaro Shimizu), Giselle, Don Quixote, Balanchine and Beyond, and The Ode of Joy - Gala Performance.

Since its founding, many young dancers of the company have 39 medals in various international dance competitions.

The Shanghai Ballet is active in cooperation and cultural exchange with the artists and companies both at home and abroad. The company has visited many countries and regions, including the U.S., U.K, Canada, France, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Finland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, etc.