Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
Full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
- Shakespeare in Macbeth
These were probably the first lines of Shakespeare that I learnt from my beloved English teacher in high school. In primary school I had even tried reading an oil-red hard-bound book of the Bard, generously loaned to me by my childhood friend. Alas! Not a line understood because it was the original script, with medieval English, and after struggling with a page or two, I returned the book.
Door Darshan beamed Shakespeare's Plays every Saturday afternoons - I am sure nobody remembers! And any number of attempts would not get me past the speed and accent of the seemingly beautiful dialogues of the talented actors in their medieval costumes, with all their grace and style.
And then here and there I did read abridged and adapted stories of the 'Taming of the Shrew', 'A Midsummer Night's Story', etc but honestly the stories did not leave much impact on me, except my recent reading of 'Macbeth' which I felt was too dark and gory, and my teen had it as a high-school text!
Thus, it was with some reluctance that I agreed to go watch Shakespeare in the Park, 'The Tempest' to be exact. A hot day had turned into a breezy evening when we reached Mt Faber Park.
The hubby's office guys, bless them, had arranged a cozy corner for the lucky few who turned up, with picnic mats and a reference book. We packed our picnic basket with potato chips, salad and dip, and dinner too. And settled down as the lights went up and the Creative Director welcomed us warmly, and off he went to let Prospero and Miranda take the stage by storm...
'The Tempest' is the last Play by Shakespeare, written just before his retirement. The only story he wrote out of his imagination, rather than based on a historical event or building up on a story told by someone else.
Prospero, the Duke of Milano, whose throne was wrongfully usurped by his brother Antonio, takes the help of magic and the spirits to avenge the wrongdoing.
The play begins on the deck of a ship at sea, amidst a raging tempest. On board the ship are the traitors Antonio and his cronies, the King of Naples and his brother, along with a butler, a Councillor and others. But this is a storm created by the magical powers of Prospero, who wishes to punish his traitors, but has actually protected them from any real harm, and hidden the ship under a charm.
Amidst this main plot is the spirit Ariel, who spins her magic as well as music, to help Prospero in his mission. Prospero has a beautiful daughter Miranda, who is in love with Ferdinand, son to the King of Naples. In a typical Indian movie style, Prospero asks Ferdinand to do odd jobs to test his love for Miranda. The love story finally does have a happy ending.
There is another treacherous plot by Sebastian, brother of the King Alonso, to murder Alonso and usurp the throne of Naples, but there is the spirit Ariel to stop the wrongdoers, with her spells and mesmerizing music. To add to the eeriness is Caliban, half man and half fish, vowing not to serve Prospero first, but finally realizes that he is his true master worthy of serving.
If you are now reeling in confusion, its time to read the Play.
A touch of humour and a lilting score of music accompanies the dialogues in every act. Even in such a historic setting, the producers of the Play managed to sneak in special effects wherever magic and spirits were involved.
In the end when the traitors are brought together to face the grave consequences of their crime, Ariel, the seemingly blithe spirit seeks compassion for them, and Prospero actually forgives them! Prospero here is not just a King who has been wronged, but is a real Hero in my opinion, fits into the mould of a kind and brave King, a compassionate father who cares for his daughter and tests her lover, punishes his brother for treason but at the same time protects him from real harm! He even stops the nymphs and reapers in a dance sequence, saying that their dance movement had lost its innocence, asks his daughter and her lover to exercise restraint before they are wedded...ever the traditional gentleman...Or
Should we say A Raymonds Man?
PS : When I ask them about their interest to watch a Play or a show, friends often say "Singapore is full of such events". Well in that case, friends, why not start somewhere!
Told by an idiot
Full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
- Shakespeare in Macbeth
These were probably the first lines of Shakespeare that I learnt from my beloved English teacher in high school. In primary school I had even tried reading an oil-red hard-bound book of the Bard, generously loaned to me by my childhood friend. Alas! Not a line understood because it was the original script, with medieval English, and after struggling with a page or two, I returned the book.
Door Darshan beamed Shakespeare's Plays every Saturday afternoons - I am sure nobody remembers! And any number of attempts would not get me past the speed and accent of the seemingly beautiful dialogues of the talented actors in their medieval costumes, with all their grace and style.
And then here and there I did read abridged and adapted stories of the 'Taming of the Shrew', 'A Midsummer Night's Story', etc but honestly the stories did not leave much impact on me, except my recent reading of 'Macbeth' which I felt was too dark and gory, and my teen had it as a high-school text!
Thus, it was with some reluctance that I agreed to go watch Shakespeare in the Park, 'The Tempest' to be exact. A hot day had turned into a breezy evening when we reached Mt Faber Park.
 |
| Balmy but breezy evening |
 |
| The Creative Director working hard to keep the arts alive |
Prospero, the Duke of Milano, whose throne was wrongfully usurped by his brother Antonio, takes the help of magic and the spirits to avenge the wrongdoing.
The play begins on the deck of a ship at sea, amidst a raging tempest. On board the ship are the traitors Antonio and his cronies, the King of Naples and his brother, along with a butler, a Councillor and others. But this is a storm created by the magical powers of Prospero, who wishes to punish his traitors, but has actually protected them from any real harm, and hidden the ship under a charm.
 |
| The magnificently designed giant stage is set...for a magical evening |
There is another treacherous plot by Sebastian, brother of the King Alonso, to murder Alonso and usurp the throne of Naples, but there is the spirit Ariel to stop the wrongdoers, with her spells and mesmerizing music. To add to the eeriness is Caliban, half man and half fish, vowing not to serve Prospero first, but finally realizes that he is his true master worthy of serving.
If you are now reeling in confusion, its time to read the Play.
A touch of humour and a lilting score of music accompanies the dialogues in every act. Even in such a historic setting, the producers of the Play managed to sneak in special effects wherever magic and spirits were involved.
 |
| The spirits and humans both take a bow |
Should we say A Raymonds Man?
 |
| Even after the curtains went down...the spirits were high |
