To go, or not to go?! The Reduced Shakespeare Company comes to Singapore

PUBLISHED September 19th, 2013 12:35 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:20 pm

Ah, tis the season to be Shakespearian…

It certainly does seems like there’s a nice little wave of theatre washing against the shores of Singapore. Thanks to many of the great theatre companies, we’ve had a plethora of well-performed plays written by ye Ol’ Bard. However, something of rather a different style is about to be performed in Singapore in October…The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged.

If you’ve never heard of this production, you’re probably thinking right now: ‘Crikey, a play which encompasses all of Shakespeare’s play?! No, thanks, that’s going to take ages and doesn’t sound fun at all’. On the other hand, if you have already seen these guys perform, as I have in London’s Criterion theatre, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Performed by The Reduced Shakespeare Company, the 3-man team will take you on an epic musical and hilarious journey through William Shakespeare’s complete works, all in the space of 90 minutes. This is satire at its best and is an extraordinary production. I’ve personally seen the production three times when I lived in London. There is, after all, a reason why it’s the longest running comedy show in London’s ‘West End’.

What makes this production so special is that it’s something everyone can appreciate. If you hated studying Shakespeare in school, this will come as a cathartic, spoof-experience deconstruction of your years of literature, taking the complete mickey out of Old Bill. And if you are a theatre fan, well, it will probably encapsulate why you love theatre in the first place.

This is just an astonishing and energetic performance by the original cast. You’ll laugh, you’ll scream, and you’ll probably rediscover a long lost affection for Shakespeare you never thought possible. This is the power of comedy, married with the powerful lady that is theatre.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by The Reduced Shakespeare Company will take place every night between the 1st and 12th October at the DBS Arts Centre. Performances: Tue – Fri, 7.45pm, Sat, 3pm & 7.45pm, Sun Oct 6th, 3pm & 7pm.

TICKET PRICE (EXCLUDES BOOKING FEE): Standard – S$108, S$88 & S$68, Student – S$58 (Cat 2 / 3 tickets). Buy your tickets here.

Photos courtesy of ABA Productions.