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The worlds of Shakespeare and his Chinese contemporary Tang Xianzu collided on Sept. 22, to the sound of rapturous applause as "A Shakespearean Handan Dream" premiered to a sold-out St Paul's Church, London.

"A Shakespearean Handan Dream" premieres to a sold-out St Paul's Church in London Sept. 22, 2016. [Photo / China.org.cn]

To mark 400 years since the death of England's Shakespeare and China's Tang Xianzu -- two of the greatest playwrights of their time -- internationally celebrated director Leon Rubin and Kun opera performer and director Ke Jun spent six years creating a play that would bring the works of Shakespeare and Tang together.

Though the directors are dealing with different styles of theatre -- Tang was a writer of Kunqu opera, a precursor to Peking Opera -- and different languages, Ke and Rubin, along with a cast of Chinese and U.K. actors, have crafted a work that overcomes the barriers between languages and cultures to successfully explore the style and thinking of master playwrights.

"A Shakespearean Handan Dream" is a magnificently-crafted production that cleverly weaves the worlds of Tang and Shakespeare together into a show of great performances, music, kung-fu-like dancing, sword fighting, and colorful period costumes.

This opera/play is an interpretation of Tang's last great work, "A Handan Dream." "A Handan Dream" is an exploration of life and death and the desires and yearnings that one experiences on this journey. Though, that's not to say that there was not a touch of comedy. Tang was as versatile as Shakespeare at creating both tragedy and comedy, and the audience had the opportunity to laugh at the subtle humor of both playwrights.

Tang's original "A Handan Dream" opera centers on Lu Sheng (played by actor-director Ke), a lowly official with a desire for the finer things in life. Under the enchantment of an immortal, Lu falls into a sleep in which he dreams and lives the 50 years ahead of him. We follow Lu's journey from being a scholar to being a general to being an octogenarian who is (much to the audience's delight) "skilled in the bedroom arts."

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