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Play Review: Singapore Repertory Theatre’s The Merchant Of Venice
Singapore Repertory Theatre's The Merchant of Venice performance draws a crowd.
Director: Bruce Guthrie
Cast: Daniel Jenkins (Antonio), Remesh Panicker (Shylock), Perri Snowdon (Bassanio) and Julie Wee (Portia)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice was performed recently at the monumental Fort Canning Park in Singapore. Produced by the Singapore Repertory Theatre, the Shakespearean stage looked akin to the modern reconstruction of the Shakespearian Globe Theatre in London. The international cast reflected Singapore’s vibrant multicultural society. Being an ardent Shakespear fan, it was hard to resist watching the play while I was visiting Singapore.
The show opened with the cast performing a dance number with the characters dressed in contemporary costumes and set to techno. It set the stage for the play was take place in modern Singapore, although the play followed the traditional text. Of course, my eyes were searching for Shylock, one of Shakespeare’s most loved villains, who to my surprise, looked like an Indian man wearing a kurta pajama and a Nehru jacket.
By depicting Shylock as a bulky “Indian” man, it was hard to overlook the fact that the director was using humour to hint towards the racial tensions that continue to exist in Singapore. I think it was brilliant on his part to do so because he brought to life one of my favourite characters, Shylock, in a manner that audiences from all walks of life could relate to.
The Merchant of Venice has two particularly powerful monologues, the “Hath not a Jew eyes?” speech spoken by Shylock and Portia’s “The quality of mercy” speech. You could hear a pin drop during the emotionally charged delivery of these lines. The play’s minor characters punctuated these more serious moments with needed humour.
Although it seemed that Antonio was supposed to be viewed as the victim of the play, it was difficult not to sympathize with Shylock, who was trying to fight against the blatant racism that he had faced throughout his life by asking for a “pound of flesh”; however, he failed because the laws in Venice were ultimately against him.
Overall, this was one of the most memorable adaptations I have seen of this controversial play, particularly in the way it hinted towards Singapore’s racial tensions in a very gentle manner. Bravo!
Featured Image: fbcdn
Nidhi Shrivastava
Author
Nidhi Shrivastava (@shnidhi) is a Ph.D. candidate in the English department at Western University and works as an adjunct professor in at Sacred Heart University. She holds double masters in South Asian Studies and Women's Studies. Her research focuses on Hindi film cinema, censorship, the figure o...
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