Peking Opera show based on 'Macbeth' set for Beijing debut

Kingdom of Desire is the signature production by Taiwan's Contemporary Legend Theatre. Photos provided to China Daily

Taipei-based actor and director Wu Hsing-kuo has not only done films in the past three decades, but also been involved with theater, contemporary dance and TV.

But according to him, Peking Opera is where he belongs.

Before sitting down for an interview in Beijing, the 63-year-old artist points to a photo, which shows a group of youngsters standing in a Peking Opera pose on an overpass.

The image is from a practice session of Taiwan's Contemporary Legend Theatre that Wu, along with other like-minded performers of the art form, founded in 1986.

"On sunny days, we trained on basketball fields, and on rainy days, we trained under highway overpasses. That's how we started," says Wu, whose troupe will debut its signature work, Kingdom of Desire, in Beijing on May 5.

"The actors were not paid back then but we were passionate about Peking Opera," he adds.

Kingdom of Desire, a Peking Opera adaptation of William Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, has toured worldwide since 1986.

The production is now set to be presented at the capital's Tianqiao Performing Arts Theater.