"All the world's a stage; And all the men and women are merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts."

As William Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It, Wu Hsing-kuo will play many parts in his one-man version of the bard's King Lear.

The show will be staged in Shanghai for a midsummer's celebration of the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth.

The Contemporary Legend Theater's version features the company's 61-year-old founder telling the story in three acts - Play, Playing and Player.

Wu has trained as a martial arts performer and Peking Opera singer since age 11. He also has played several leading male roles in dances.

He says he was inspired to take up the project not only by his professional involvement with various genres but also his personal experience of losing his parents at an early age.

In the play, Wu tears off his wig, robe and huge beard, and also tears down the boundaries between role and performer. Wu is both King Lear and himself when he shouts the angry lines at the top of his lungs.

"Wu's King Lear is unique," says 46-year-old Wang Yizhuang, who saw the play at the Edinburgh International Festival in England in 2011.

"He plays both male roles and female roles, good guys and bad guys. You might be confused at the very beginning. But soon it turns into an ecstatic resonance of the play's adaptor. It breaks boundaries with a bang, like a punch in the heart. It's something new."

The show sparked controversy about what modern Peking Opera should be like when it debuted in 1998. Wu and his teacher had a falling out over the debate but later reconciled.

Some fans frowned at Wu's version, believing it missed the point of Peking Opera, which should engage a wide range of performers playing respective roles and focus on characters' personalities.

But the one-man performance has won acclaim among younger audiences. Its creative, unique and personalized presentation has arguably rejuvenated the genre.

IF YOU GO

King Lear

7:30 pm, June 13-15.

DaGuan Theater, 3F Shanghai Himalayas Arts Center,

1118 Lane, Fangdian Lu (Road), Pudong New Area, Shanghai.

Admission: 120-580 yuan ($19-93).

021-5887-1234.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn

Wu Hsing-kuo from the Contemporary Legend Theater stages a one-man version of King Lear. Photos provided to China Daily

(China Daily 06/08/2014 page9)