Merchant of Venice

June 2001

From the local newspaper: 

If you have been waiting to watch a team of British actors performing the works of Shakespeare and not pay in pounds, here’s your chance. The acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company will be in Kuala Lumpur from 13th to 16th June at Istana Budaya to perform “The Merchant of Venice”. Be transported to Belmont and Venice, where you can be in the thick of romance, intrigue and treachery that sets the stage for this timeless classic.

I was reading the book, quite like cramming for an exam really, as I tried to finish it before the play started. The schedule went like this : read on the flight to S’pore on 11 June, read on the flight back to KL on 14 June. Reached Istana Budaya at 7.50 pm on 15 June. Play starts at 8.30 pm so I had a narrow window to finish the remaining 10 pages, which I managed to do. Then went in to my seat and watched the players brought life to the lines which I had just finished reading.

The performance was excellent and there were some hilarious scenes as well. I did not think I would enjoy a play so well but it was so. I was seated fourth row from the stage, in the middle, so I had an excellent view of the stage. Methinks that this Shakespeare fellow writes well, I like his comedy. 

Today I bought “Much Ado about Nothing” (only cost RM7.90) so that I can further explore the works of the bard. And all this because….I was deprived of it by the education system…. Of course if I had to study the play for an exam, I might not like it half as much…

Some controversy here: two guys actually kiss on stage. On the lips, some more. I was like "What ? What happened ?"

The book never mentioned anything about a kissing scene between Antonio and Bassanio, two of the main characters in the play. Sure I knew they were best friends, but kissing each other passionately ??

And then just before Antonio is to be carved off a pound of flesh by the utterly unmerciful Shylock….gasp, another kissing scene between the two men. What’s this I ask ? How come the government did not censor this ? I mean, even a chaste kissing scene gets cut off on TV and no one drew the line at two men kissing each other passionately on stage ? I’m confused….

Add to this the kissing scene between Bassanio and Portia (with less passion, I must admit. Ahem…being seated at fourth row, I was sure my eyes did not play me false) and between Lorenzo and Jessica, Gratiano and Nerissa, you may guess that there were quite a fair bit of kissing scenes last night. Again my question, the government allowed it ? What gives ?

Apart from the kissing scene confusion, I would recommend everyone to watch this play. It's worth every ringgit of the RM30 ticket price (if my memory did not play me false on this).