Timeless Shakespeare...

Arh, Romeo and Juliet, that famous Shakespearean play that is so entrenched in our culture today hundred of years on, that it is unlikely no one knows that the reference of the two young "star-cross'd lovers" refers to tragic archetypal young lovers.

The play about these two young lovers whose untimely deaths ultimately unite their feuding families was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and is still today, being a popular choice for musicals and movies and opera.

TNT Theatre Britain will be staging a traditional interpretation of the play here on our shores, not so much a contemporary adaptation but a mythic one that enables the morality play and the romantic tragedy to reach its true potential - in the way Shakespeare would have performed it.

All too often, Shakespeare suffers from the hands of directors and even designers imposing an interpretation on the original that stifles its essence. TNT works carefully to bring out the true richness and depth of Shakespeare. This approach has been much appreciated by a wide audience who is often surprised at how accessible and relevant Shakespeare's plays become when they are performed in the manner Shakespeare might have intended.

The plays were after all written to be performed with limited scenery which calls upon the imagination of the audience, live music, small casts, energetic physical performances and a sensitivity to poetry. All of these elements are present in a TNT Shakespeare production. Less is more or, to quote Hamlet, "the play is the thing".

Fifo talks to the play's director Paul Stebbings on how this method unfolds itself.

1. Shakespeare as Shakespeare intended it. Why does that work?

Shakespeare is so popular he suffers from a desire to make him into someting else - a film, a Victorian romance, an opera etc. Shakespeare understod theatre - he was not a writer really (he never expected his plays to be read) so it's important to rescue Shakespeare from his admirers and get back to what he intended - fast, fluid, dynamic theatre without complicated scene changes, big casts, realistic settings and above all director-centred productions that tell us more about the director than the greatest plays ever written! It works because that is how it is supposed to work.

2. What do you think the Elizabethan audience was like then, and what was it like for the cast playing to them?

I want to stress we do not do museum theatre - this is modern theatre because Shakespeare was very modern - he wasn't working in a tradition - all theatre was new in the 1590's.

So TNT are not trying to recreate an Elizabethan audience - just allowing the audience to experience theatre without useless TV-based thrills - so we can learn from Shakespeare who wrote for a popular audience - look how he always starts with a bang! An exciting action packed scene.

The great thing about the Elizabethan audience was that they were prepared to use their imagination - our modern media takes away the imagination and fantasy of the public and we try to return that real thrill to them - it is after all Shakespeare's amazing langauge and poetry that creates images for the audience - here's an example from Juliet:

"Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,

Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with night

And pay no worship to the garish sun."

- wow! Now that is emotional power and incredible imagery.

3. Do you think Singaporeans will be able to connect to this historical, original telling of the Bard?

As I said this is not museum theatre - we offer a version of ROMEO & JULIET that playing to its strengths - for example bringing out the themes of love and death even love in death rather than just going for its story - so Cupid and Death himself play a visual role because its there in the poetry. How can love and death not be relevant? This is the greatest love story ever told - I think any human anywhere has to be moved by that ...unbless love is irrelevent (I hope not!).

4. Finally, what is it about Shakespeare that is timeless and relevant till today?

I might have answered that above - but I would like to say that we are back in Singapore because of the audience - we have had a great response from public and students over the last 8 years (when we were playing here) and we really apppreciate the lively and intelligent audience in your city - we offer them all we can and hope we and they will be rewarded with a moving, exciting and even comic evening of great romance.

Romeo & Juliet is on from 30 April to 2 May at Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel. Tickets from Sistic.