Whether you’re a hardcore Shakespeare fan, or just love the idea of a picnic rug, bottle of vino and theatre under the stars, here’s how you can get your “pound of flesh”- the annual Shakespeare In The Park season has officially commenced at Fort Canning!
Kicking off with The Merchant of Venice, we got a sneak peak at Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) modern revival of this timeless play on Wednesday, 30 April, and it was the perfect night out. We couldn’t fault the combo of classic quotes, balmy night, contemporary staging and cool crowd – the best of Singapore came together to really put on a show.
If you want to collect some good vibes and capture the meeting of arts and the city at this favourite time of year, we suggest grabbing your tickets pronto and hatching a plan for an awesome evening…
Happy picnickers waiting for the show to begin
1. Gear Up
First things first: gather your essentials. You will need a picnic rug, insect repellent, nibbles, water, vino and all associated implements. You’ll be excited to know that this is one event where BYO alcohol is welcomed. It’s warm out so we suggest beer or a white, lest that red go straight to your head – don’t forget, you’ll need to preserve doses of brain power to keep up with ye olde English speak.
2. Dress Smart
There’s no need to go fancy here. Remember, it’s hot and you’ll be sitting on the ground so comfort is key. Shorts, flip-flops and singlet tops are all acceptable. Oh, and if your blood is popular with the local wildlife, coat yourself in mozzie spray before you go as a fume-suffocating courtesy to your fellow theatregoers.
Our lifestyle writers – Isabel (left) and Natalie (right) – with their picnic essentials
3. Get There
We recommend catching a taxi or some mode of public transport to reach Fort Canning Park. It does mean you need to loosely plan your departure post-show to avoid the taxi supply and demand issue leaving Fort Canning Park, but parking is really only for the foolish or the brave.
4. Mark Your Territory
There’s 2 ways you could play this: either arrive early, queue up and then race to land a prime patch of grass. Or, chance it, arrive late and miraculously score a recently vacated spot close to the front. We lucked out and did the latter (not by design) but perhaps the former strategy is more reliable.
All you need to know about the play in these programme booklets
5. Play And Pass It Around
It’s time to crack open the food and beverages and enjoy some dusk-time chat with friends while you wait for the show to begin. Pass around the chips and dip and have a nerd-tastic time playing a game of Shakespeare quote-off. All the world’s a stage!
On set at The Merchant of Venice
6. It’s Show Time
Before the lights go down, make a donation and get a programme. In it, you’ll read a blow-by-blow account of each act of the play, if you’re not already familiar with the story. Love, revenge, loyalty, friendship, trust, racism, feminism and the miscarriage of justice are all major themes here so get ready to be gripped. Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice makes as much sense now as it did over 400 years ago, and SRT’s version makes for excellent relevance. We’re not kidding when we say, MUST SEE!
Nerissa (Isabella Chiam) and Portia (Julie Wee) as learned law clerks
7. Watch Out For
Julie Wee’s portrayal of Portia, the fair maiden wooed by Bassanio, is stunning. She issues scornful remarks to would-be suitors, outsmarts Shylock the Jew disguised as a man, and even dupes her new husband while making him beg for forgiveness. Sean Lai lends comic relief with his court-jester take on Launcelot, Shylock’s servant. Like an expert parkour practitioner, he jumps, glides, and moves effortlessly across the stage. Technology even takes on a role in this modern re-telling, and the moment when Bassanio shows a pic of Portia to his mate, Antonio, on his smart phone made us and the rest of the audience chuckle with its pop culture reverence.
8. Little Extras
We appreciated the 15-minute interval to pit-stop at the ultra clean-portaloo (this is no music festival people – no need to scrunch tissues in your pocket), pick up some more munchies in the form of Haagen-Dazs tubs and grab a complimentary fan to cool down.
Antonio (Daniel Jenkins) faces off with Shylock (Remesh Panicker)
9. Curtain Call
When it’s time to go, we suggest relaxing on your rug a while longer till the masses exit. We were impressed by the politeness and cleanliness of the crowd, who didn’t barge and didn’t fail to turf their rubbish in the bin. After 5 minutes or so, we strolled out, made our way to Dhoby Ghaut and picked up a taxi in no time. No need to panic that we’d not pre-booked a cab!
10. Singapore Smile
On the way home, we all said it was one of the best nights we’ve had out in a while. Theatre, fine weather, beautiful location, friends, and not to mention the vino, were the right ingredients for a great night. Singapore was made for this! A big thanks to Singapore Repertory Theatre for inviting us to be part of the show.
Shakespeare In The Park – The Merchant of Venice runs from now till Sunday, 25 May. Book your tickets now on SISTIC.
Images: Suasti Lye, Singapore Repertory Theatre