RIO DE JANEIRO -- William Shakespeare´s Hamlet opens on Feb. 6 and inaugurates The Rubens Correa Theatre in Rio de Janeiro. The play is directed by Ivan de Albuquerque and translated by Leyla Ribeiro.

Brazilian Rubens Correa dedicated two decades of his life to the theatre in Brazil. The actor died on Jan. 22, 1996 of AIDS. The actor who, left the stage tragically and prematurely, now is receiving a just honour which will help him to stay in fans' memories forever.

The Rubens Correa Theatre´s project was sponsored by Bank of Brazil Foundation and is located in Ipanema Beach the most famous beach in Rio de Janeiro.

Hamlet, the famous story of the disturbed King of Denmark, brings to the stage a cast of young Brazilian stars. Lucio Mauro Filho, Gabriel Gracindo, Renato Reston and Diogo Albuquerque play the leading roles.

Ivan de Albuquerque adaptation of Hamlet retains the poetry and the epic language of the Shakespearean script, but the director cut some characters, changed the order of some scenes and reduced the time of the play to two hours and 20 minutes. He explains ... "The changes was necessary to make the play more attractive to the public. Brazilian audiences are extremely anxious and disquiet for long plays"... Charles Moeller is the Set Designer and Paulo Medeiros organises the Lighting. Performances are from Thursday to Saturday - 9PM; Sunday - 8PM. Tickets cost R$20,00-R$18,00-R$15,00. Information call 021 523 9794 at The Rubens Correa Theatre in Rio de Janeiro.

-- By Nertutila Achao
Brazil Correspondent