Playing Feste in the latest Shakespeare in the Park staging Twelfth Night, means acting as a “schizophrenic” jester, hears Chin Hui Wen.

How familiar were you with Twelfth Night?
To be honest, not very at all. This is like going back to school and once again cheating using Shakespeare for Dummies study guides.

The tale is about a love triangle. Have you ever been involved in one?
Oh yes, and I won!

What’s your favorite part of working on a Shakespeare play?
The language is beautiful to speak and I generally do relish the challenge of making it relatable to the audience. Having said that, my character, Feste, gets to say lots of seemingly random words—his mind is working faster than anyone else’s. It’s rather bizarre! Feste can be described as a professional schizophrenic so the role allows me to act in the wildest, wackiest manner with no fear of reprisal. If audiences don’t understand all of what I’m saying, I think I’ve done my job.

Twelfth Night is known for its comedy. Do you prefer humorous or serious shows?
Actually, I do prefer more serious stuff because I have quite a dark, twisted side to me. Comedy, particularly Shakespeare’s comedy, is hard. But therein lies the challenge; I would not have said yes to this role if I thought it was going to be a walk in the park.

Twelfth Night is on April 25- May 20, 7:30pm at Fort Canning Park.

Advertisement

Leave a Comment