This July 25 and 26, catch a localised take on one of Shakespeare’s lightest and sunniest comedies, As You Like It. In a twist of the original play, the production (tickets at $27, with bundle discounts) is set in Singapore and Malaysia in 1965, just as the nation is about to be exiled from the Malayan Union and set adrift to become a wholly independent state.
The jungles of Malaysia transforms into the forest of Arden, where an exiled politician returns to assume power, characters get married to form alliances and new unions are celebrated. Performed by students from the LASALLE College of the Arts BA (Hons) Acting programme, the spirited play takes on new resonances that makes for an apt commemoration of Singapore's Bicentennial.
The production is part of Gateway Arts Festival, which takes place from July 6 to July 28. Head on down to Gateway Theatre in Bukit Merah for a series of performances and programmes like this one that are fun for the whole family.
Time Out Singapore in partnership with Gateway Theatre