This energetic
production of Shakespeare's comedy about forbidden love came off relatively
well despite some opening night stumbles and the occasional jittery
line.
The cast of the SRT's Young Co. produced a vigorous energy that was
well-suited to the mischievous, playful tone of the work, in which the
King of Navarre and his three courtiers break their oath of abstinence
from women and pursue the Princess of France and her three ladies-in-waiting.
The women play pranks on the men and end up falling in love with them,
but the romance grinds to a halt when the Princess receives news that
her father has died, and the four women decide to wait a year before
meeting with their new beaux again.
If the plot of Love's Labour's Lost seems easily digestible,
the script is less so. Overflowing as it is with literary conceits and
references, the script has been described as inexplicable and unintelligible,
and often cited as a reason for the play's unpopularity. Thankfully,
the original script had been assiduously trimmed to a manageable two
hours, and the production trotted along briskly, skipping over the longer
passages and those that weren't essential to the play. Given the amount
of audience concentration required to absorb and appreciate each sophisticated
literary construct, the trimming was welcome and did not detract from
the self-consciously clever tone of the script.
The cast, drawn from the participants in the SRT's two-year, part-time
training course in theatre and acting, was understandably varied in
quality. For the most part, voice and diction were good. Some spoke
their Shakespeare admirably and with charming inflections, such as Rishi
Budhrani (playing Berowne) and Victoria Lim (playing Rosaline), which
made their characters truly enjoyable. The supporting cast, while less
accomplished in their diction, was rich with comic talent that was put
to good use. The comic timing and chemistry displayed by the ensemble
were the highlights of the production, producing laugh-out-loud moments
worthy of any professional Shakespeare troupe. The humour was witty,
but it was also physical and at times lowbrow - characteristic of the
most amusing moments in Shakespeare.
Boyet from the Princess' court (Muhammad Ruzaini Bin Mazani)
had a touch of camp about him that complemented the feminine sassiness
of the four ladies. Budhrani's Berowne was slightly over-the-top,
but this energy worked well with his male and female co-actors. His
quick instincts onstage also made the best of an embarrassing situation
involving an accidental falling prop. The clown Costard (Yazid Jalil)
was rather hyperactive, but got under your skin in a good way.
Given the challenges of mastering the linguistic sophistication that
characterises this work, and of conveying the playwright's irony, the
cast handled the script steadily. Notably for this young cast, small
slip-ups were confidently taken in their stride, and did not interrupt
the rhythm of each scene. Slips aside, though, I would have liked to
see fewer lines and passages being rushed through, and perhaps more
pleasure taken in the cadences of the language (although this might
require either a longer production or more chopping of the script).
It was remarked that the production was "student-y", which
I agree with in the sense of its being a little rough around the edges.
This could have been due to a combination of nerves, the part-time nature
of The Young Co., and the challenges of the script. The sound and costumes
could have been a tad more finished too. All in all, however, Love's
Labour's Lost was an enjoyable production which did justice to
the comedic elements of Shakespeare's script. It also debuted a few
new talents whom I hope to see more of onstage, and who I daresay could
soon hold their own alongside more experienced actors.
First Impression
This energetic production of Shakespeare's comedy about forbidden love
came off relatively well despite some opening night stumbles and the
occasional jittery line. The SRT's The Young Co. cast produced a vigorous
energy that was well-suited to the mischievous, playful tone of the
work. Most successful were the comic timing and chemistry that worked
throughout the ensemble, creating laugh out loud moments worthy of any
professional Shakespeare troupe. Given the challenging task of mastering
the linguistic sophistications that characterise this work, and of conveying
the playwright's ironic treatment of them, the cast handled itself steadily
and with panache. Although it was remarked that the production was "student-y",
Love's Labour's Lost was highly enjoyable, plus it displayed
many potential talents whom I would hope to see more of onstage. |
"An enjoyable production which did justice to the comedic elements
of Shakespeare's script"
Credits
Directors: Michael Corbidge and Susan Tordoff
Cast: Elena Yeo, Victoria Lim, Eunice Yee, Jane Chia,
Crenshaw Yeo, Rishi Budhrani, Daniel Lim, Chad Tan, Muhammad Ruzaini
Bin Mazani, Clara Dyeo Yunwen, Andrew Ng, Joyce Gan, Loh Chiu Kuan,
Megah Laksana Ashari, Mhd Fazri Iman, Yazid Jalil, Nikko Aw, Aylwyn
Goh, Caroline McBurney, Celine Ng, Fiona Low, Georgia Fun, Goh Leyu
Lois, Olivia Rummel and Rummana Y. Yamanie
Production Managers: Suraya Ab Rasid and Grace Low
Stage Manager: Nor Elsa
Assistant Stage Manager: Gillian Tan
Set Designer: Hella Chan
Costume Designer: Vivianne Koh
Sound Designer: Joyce Gan
Lighting Designer: Yo Shao Ann
Stage Technician: David Sagaya
Stage Technician/Lighting Operator: Alberta Wileo
Sound Operator: Manoj Rupawala
Wardrobe Assistant: Georgia Fun
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