Grace ChiaThe Bard continues to live in your hearts and minds through his literary works.
To Singapore-based actor and theatre veteran Adrian Pang, Shakespeare’s works are mysterious, magical and maddening.
“95% of the time, the language is complete gibberish,” said Pang, who’s played Shakespearean characters such as Prince Hamlet in revenge tragedy Hamlet and Benedick in comedic play Much Ado About Nothing. “But that’s the beauty of it – it’s a mystery to be solved, and (it’s) a joy to unravel what those wonderful words actually mean.”
Pang, together with Singapore Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director Gaurav Kripalani and British Council’s Country Director Roland Davies, was speaking at a panel discussion on Shakespeare’s works as part of Costa Singapore’s “Costa Coffee With Shakespeare” event. The session was held as part of a global series of activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death on April 23, 1616.
The widely-read English playwright died four centuries ago, but his timeless works continue to resonate with literature, theatre and even pop culture fans across the globe. Many in Singapore also feel that Shakespeare remains extremely relevant to their lives. Here’s what they told UrbanWire.
Adrian Pang, 50, Actor
“His insights into human behavior is astounding. He can really understand how human beings work, the frailties in human, desires…”
Thia Shi Hui, Joanna Tan, Zealyn Soh (from left to right), 20s, Students
Favorite plays: “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Taming of the Shrew”
“Shakespeare is a classic, especially Romeo and Juliet. We studied it in school, so we’d like to see it as a life play.”
“I like the adaptability of (Shakespeare’s work)… you can adapt it to different contexts and trends.”
“The themes are timeless. The characters are very relatable as well.”
Wong Hong Yi, 30s, Teacher
Favorite play: “King Lear”
“Shakespeare is universal in many different ways. We were just talking about how after 400 years, he’s still relevant and we’re still watching it in this kind of setting.”
“He touches humanity in different cultures and different periods.”
Over 100 residents in Singapore caught Shakespeare’s romance tragedy Romeo & Juliet at Fort Canning Park. Shakespeare in the Park: Romeo and Juliet is an initiative by Singapore Repertory Theatre.