Shakespeare In Klingon
2 min readFirst there was Klingon opera. Now fans of both Klingons and Shakespeare can see selections of Shakespeare classics performed in the Klingon language as well as in English.
On September 25 in Arlington, Virginia, the Washington Shakespeare Company will perform an evening of Shakespeare, featuring selections from Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing.
George Takei will be the featured guest at this performance, in which actors will speak the verse in both English and Klingon, with the lines of each corresponding to the Bard’s iambic pentameter. Takei will only be speaking English, doing a monologue from Julius Caesar.
The Washington Shakespeare Company is known for its offbeat performances of Shakespeare classics. Three years ago, the group performed Macbeth – in the nude. This time, Shakespeare will go sci-fi. “It kind of fits into our company identity, of trying to breathe some fresh air into the classics, of doing something really, really different with them,” said artistic director, Christopher Henley. “It seems a way to say that we’re not as reverent as other companies in town.”
According to Henley, fans need not worry about not being able to comprehend the scenes. “Even the most die-hard Klingon fan would find it hard to follow seven or ten minutes in Klingon,” he said. Scenes in Klingon will be short. “What we’ll try to underline is the different kinds of cultural impulses. The Klingon version will be much more violent.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased here. VIP tickets include an exclusive reception with Takei and Marc Okrand, creator of the Klingon language.
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