A Date With Shakespeare

We had a date with Shakespeare a couple of months ago where we watched The Merchant Of Venice in Fort Canning, under a starry night with balmy evening breezes.

Check out the crowds! We were lucky to have found an area right in front of the stage to plonk ourselves down! 

It was the Bees' first exposure to a play by the Bard, with full-fledged Shakespearean language. They had read a lot of his plays in adapted versions, in regular English, and we had talked about The Merchant Of Venice before this play. However, it was still a delight to see them looking quizzical in the first few minutes, whispering furtively, "Mummy! What language are they speaking in?" Haha.

I read the Merchant of Venice synopsis to them before the play, so the Bees were aware of the key protagonists and the main plot (and subplots). Once the play started and they got used to the archaic language, they were slowly drawn into the dramatic twists and hyperbole of Shakespeare's magic.

My qualms about this play were that 1) the setting was constructed deliberately in a modern setting with techno music (call me an old-fashioned, unadaptable fool, but I would prefer a good ol' Shakespearean play over these new modern re-adaptations!) and that 2) I wish more local actors could be in main roles since this was organised by a local theatre production company. The 2 key protagonists were non-Singaporeans. Otherwise, I thought it was a lovely evening out with the family, just kicking our shoes off, sitting back on the grass and simply having a chillax time!

The Tempest

Sorcery. Spirituality. Isolation. Ostracism. Love. Forgiveness. All coalesced in a play that is 400 years old. Written by none other than the magnificent Shakespeare. And performed splendidly with a somewhat disquieting modern twist by such awe-inspiring actors. 

The Tempest was one of the more fantastical and bizarre plays that was written by Shakespeare, in my opinion. One can only imagine how audiences 400 years ago would anticipate this particular play of his - very much like an epic "Clash Of The Titans" on stage with significant comedic elements mingled with its whimsical yet aberrant plot for its time. 

400 years later, in modern Singapore, the audience was enraptured in laughter, awe and excitement - hypnotised by the enchanting iambic pentameter of Shakespeare's blank verse, spellbound by the raw passion and remarkable performances by the excellent actors who immersed themselves completely in their characters. 

Oh, how wonderful to be doing what you love exclusively! To follow one's heart and pursue what your heart whispers to you. I must remind myself to extol this to my Bees always - in whatever you do in life, let your passion, your interests lead you. So that you can live life to the fullest, to be absolutely alive, gloriously happy and be perpetually imbued with zeal. 

My good friend BI and I, great fans of Shakespeare, emerged from a darkened theatre into the dazzling sunlight of hot Singapore, abruptly transported back to the fractiousness of daily life after 2.5 hours of brilliant escapism. We watched The Winter's Tale last year at this time. It was amazing how time passes. And our next Shakespearean indulgence: 3 witches, a tortured General and his unscrupulous wife. A tragedy of murder, betrayal and indelible guilt. We can't wait :)  

Whither November?

December descended swiftly on us this year. The whole month of November zoomed past, overflowing with fantastically fun activities right after Big Bee's exams.

With the Bees growing older so quickly, I can now scour for more holiday activities that they can both attend together. I wanted drama to be a fundamental part of their lives as it is a wonderful way to foster confidence and empathy in children. So, we bought tickets for a musical and a play in November - Duck and Dive by iTheatre, and The Jungle Book by SRT.

The girls liked the 2-hour musical Duck and Dive, dazzling them with lovely showtunes and beautiful costumes. But they loved The Jungle Book, which cleverly ended in just one hour, so that the Bees were still entranced when the play ended. They were enthralled by the catchy tunes and hilarious acting, and were fascinated by the array of different jungle animals and their costumes. Back home, they continued acting out scenes from the play late into bedtime, indicating how impressed their little minds were.

With the cast of Duck and Dive. Big Bee was thrilled to be standing so close to the characters, and Little Bee could not draw a line between reality and play. She was hiding in my shoulders because she was terrified of the witch character (first character from left)! 

We also immersed ourselves in the magically clad streets of Orchard Road that are now resplendent with brilliant Christmas lights and glorious symbols of the season. This year, I find the decorations too bright and colourful for my liking but we are still touched by the Christmas ambience, loving the sights and sounds of splendid Christmas trees, nostalgic Christmas carols, twinkling fairy lights and gorgeous seasonal gifts all around us. We also bought a karaoke disc of Christmas carols, and the Bees are singing to these tunes frequently! 

In mid November, we put up our Christmas tree - and the Bees decorated the entire tree themselves! It was so heartwarming to sit back with Hubby and just gaze at the busy bees, fussing over which shiny decorations to hang over which branches. They completed the task within half an hour, gleefully rejoicing over their beautiful creation.

More activities are lined up in whirlwind December. With the Christmas mood lightening up the air, I am certainly looking forward to a month of love, splendour and fun!

Busy Bees at work - the theme of this year's Christmas tree is still "Baubles and Bells" like last year's!

The completed tree, minus the ribbons and lights which Papa will put up soon! 

The Winter's Tale

Yesterday afternoon, 2 of my girlfriends and I took the afternoon off and watched Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale at the Esplanade, directed by American Beauty's Sam Mendes and performed by a resplendent cast of highly talented actors.

I had always loved Shakespeare's works, having studied many plays over secondary school and junior college, though I always find The Winter's Tale, which I studied for my A-levels, a tad too heavy and tempestuous.

However, yesterday afternoon, I watched with wide-eyed wonder and besotted rapture, as Shakespeare's intense words leapt out of old, archaic scripts right into the impassioned lips of these magnificent actors through raw, unbridled emotions that brought the play to true life and self-effacing tears to our eyes.

It is amazing how Shakespeare's centuries-old themes can transcend through the ages, elevating us into another world, another time, infusing us with pure emotions so raw you almost can identify with these tortured souls and delightful characters.