Shakespeare Demystified: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Shakespeare Demystified: The Merchant of Venice is KL Shakespeare Players’ first major production of 2026. Returning after 38 performances nationwide in 2016, this staging brings Shakespeare’s tragiccomedy vividly to life, continuing KLSP’s 15-year journey of accessible, engaging theatre.

Shakespeare Demystified: The Merchant of Venice marks KL Shakespeare Players’ first major production of 2026, presented as part of the company’s 15th year of touring and theatre-making.

This 100-minute abridged production presents Shakespeare’s text through carefully selected key scenes, supported by clear narrative transitions in contemporary English. Students do not need prior knowledge of the play. By the end of the performance, they will have a strong grasp of the story, characters, conflicts, and central themes—an approach that has consistently been praised by teachers as both engaging and pedagogically effective.

Our production highlights the tension between justice and mercy–between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.  Between revenge and forgiveness. It also explores how unkindness begets unkindness and how friendship engenders love. All this is set against a backdrop of appearance versus reality. Of course, as in most Shakespeare plays, family, home, and belonging sit at the heart of the work.

When The Merchant of Venice was last staged by KLSP in 2016, it was performed 38 times for schools and public audiences across Langkawi, Penang, Seremban, and Johor Bahru. The production brought Shakespeare’s tragiccomedy vividly to life, resonating with audiences through its humour, emotional depth, and enduring questions of justice, mercy, and humanity.

SYNOPSIS
Bassanio hopes to win the hand of Portia, a rich and intelligent woman, but he needs money to do so. He turns to his close friend Antonio, the Merchant of Venice, for help. Out of friendship, Antonio borrows three thousand ducats from Shylock, a moneylender. When Antonio cannot repay the loan by the agreed date, Shylock insists on the bond’s terrifying price: a pound of Antonio’s flesh…

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TICKETS

Category	Price
Category 1 – Regular	RM 90
Category 2 – Student*	RM 80

PROMOTIONS

Category	Price
Education Group Bookings (Minimum 40 pax and above):	RM 75

Buy Tickets 
Online Purchase: https://www.cloudjoi.com/
No phone sales and over the counter sales. E-tickets only.

Enquiry
Email: info@klshakespeare.com.my
WhatsApp +6012 6530987

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THE TEAM

Creative & Production Team
Director, Script Editor & Production Manager: LIM KIEN LEE
Cast: LIM SOON HENG, ZUL ZAMIR, NURUL SOFIA, VERONICA BOH, LOK SHI HOONG, THARWA KARINA, TENGKU AZIZAN, NICHOLAS AUGUSTIN, THARANII KARTHIGESU, FIRDAUS SUFIYAN
Stage Manager: THARWA KARINA & VERONICA BOH

ABOUT KL SHAKESPEARE PLAYERS

Over the past fifteen years, KLSP has established itself as Malaysia’s most active theatre-in-education company. We are the only company to have taken professional theatre to every state in the country, reaching new audiences, many of them young people experiencing live theatre for the first time. Our work is known for being engaging, accessible, and firmly rooted in storytelling, without diluting the richness of the text.