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SRT’s Shakespeare in The Park returns with The Merchant of Venice

PUBLISHED April 25th, 2014 01:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:18 pm

The Singapore Repertory Theatre’s annual Shakespeare In The Park production is growing in popularity. Seasoned theatre goers, lovers of Shakespeare and theatre novices alike take this opportunity to pack a picnic and sit under the stars on Fort Canning Green to experience Shakespeare’s plays.  Over the years, the SRT has presented Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Twelfth Night and Othello to as many 3000 audience members. This year, fans of this event are in for a treat as the production is The Merchant of Venice, one of the Bard’s most popular plays.

Here is a synopsis: Antonio (the ‘merchant of Venice’) lends money to his friend Bassanio in order to assist him in his wooing of Portia, a wealthy and beautiful woman.  However, Antonio’s own money is tied up in business ventures that depend on the safe return of his ships from sea, so he borrows the money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who he has previously insulted for his high rates of interest. Shylock lends the money against a bond – failure to repay the loan on the agreed date will entitle Shylock to a pound of Antonio’s flesh.  Antonio’s ships flounder, and Shylock demands his pound of flesh. With court assembled and a judgment due, Portia swings into action to save Bassanio’s friend. To say more would give away the plot!

The Merchant of Venice’s Italian setting and marriage plot are typical of Shakespeare’s earlier comedies, but the characters of Portia, Shakespeare’s first great heroine, and the unforgettable villain Shylock elevate this play to a new level. Shylock’s cries for a pound of flesh have made him one of literature’s most memorable villains with actors such as Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino having played Shylock on stage and screen.

Bruce Guthrie, who also directed last year’s production of Othello, and will direct SRT’s production of Merchant of Venice shared, ‘I think it will be different to the work we have done in previous years in the park. Othello was pretty huge and we very much went for an epic scale war drama. Merchant is more about action and consequence. It is about people taking control of situations when it appears they are trapped. From a visual point of view, the production is inspired by Singapore itself with inspiration drawn from the many types of architecture in Singapore to create a world for the play with a contemporary feel.’

And what is the appeal of the Merchant of Venice to modern day audiences? A last word from Bruce Guthrie, ‘It is a terrific story with fascinating characters. We fear what is different and prejudice is born in that fear. It also has the gripping aspects of a love story coupled with a courtroom drama. It is comedy with tragic elements woven in. It makes for a gripping night of theatre in the park.’

The Merchant of Venice opens on 30 April at Fort Canning Green.  For tickets and more information, please visit www.sistic.com.sg and www.srt.com

All Nomads are entitled to 15% off when booking tickets for the Wednesday 7th May 2014 show at 7:30pm. Please click here to book and claim your 15% discount. This link is valid from now till one day prior the show, 8pm.


Nithia is a freelance marketing communications professional, copywriter and editor. She is passionate about supporting the arts in Singapore and getting more people fired up about local productions and the arts scene. passions are cookery, cinema and travel.