"Hamlet", one of the four classic tragedies by William Shakespeare, is known to people all over the world. It's been adapted numerous times onto screens both big and small, and has been translated into a considerable number of languages.

The Peking Opera version of "Hamlet." (Photo: CCTV.com)

Now the well-known masterpiece has a new version - in the style of Peking Opera - and the adaptation won recognition from a packed house in Paris. The newly-composed piece is adapted and presented by the Shanghai Opera Theater.

The show is a nuanced combination of both eastern and western elements. Most of the original dialogues in Shakespeare's work remain, but at the same time traditional Peking Opera singing and dancing merge into the variation, resulting in a rich and varied show.

The performance met with warm applause.

Audience "Member" said, "The traditional performance art of Peking Opera is quite impressive. It was astonishing! Paris is just one of the stops on the troupe's European tour. Next they'll head to Germany for more shows.

(CCTV.com February 21, 2008)