Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - The Merchant of Venice 1936 is incredibly thought-provoking and is a world class production!

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On Tuesday, we were invited to Lowry in Salford to watch The Merchant of Venice 1936. Our reviewer Abi Holden adored the show. Read what she had to say about this powerful play...

Despite being a huge lover of Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice is probably one of his plays that I knew very little about and hadn’t seen. Unlike generations before me, I hadn’t studied it but I was very excited to see an adaptation of the famous story. I was full of anticipation to see how it had been brought into a different city and time, all whilst being relevant to the historical setting that it now found itself in.

This telling of The Merchant of Venice is set in 1936 and tells the tale of Shylock (Tracy-Ann Oberman - Friday Night Dinner, Fiddler on the Roof) and how she navigates a Christian and male-dominated world as a Jewish woman. Tracy-Ann Oberman’s Shylock is the first female incarnation of the character. The story begins with the introduction of Antonio (Joseph Millson - Mary Poppins, Holby City), a notorious money-lender and his friend, Bassanio (Gavin Fowler - Filumena, Henry V), who is wanting to borrow more money from him. Unfortunately, Antonio is unable to fulfil his friend’s wish as he cannot give Bassanio any more money. Instead, Bassanio then turns to Shylock, to borrow money from. In the contract, it is stated that the forfeit for late/unfulfilled payment is a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Both Antonio and Shylock have a disliking for each other. Antonio does not like that she is Jewish and Shylock does not like the way that Antonio has treated her in the past.

They do invite Shylock to dinner, who leaves her daughter, Jessica (Gráinne Dromgoole - Deadheads, Ripe Tomato) in charge of her possessions, as a riot has begun against the Jewish community. Unbeknownst to her mother, Jessica is due to run away and marry a Christian man, Lorenzo (Mikhail Sen - The Play That Goes Wrong, Troilus and Cressida). She does so, taking many of her mother’s riches with her to pay her way in her new life. Heartbroken by her daughter’s betrayal, Shylock is faced with the news that Antonio’s ships and business ventures have all fallen through, meaning they have no way to pay her back and that she can get her revenge. The riots that occurred are by a rising fascist movement, led by Oswald Mosley, which chase and hound the Jewish community and Shylock is faced with discrimination at every turn. Interwoven through this tale is the story of Portia (Georgie Fellows - Sappho, The Day of the Jackal), who is plagued by suitors that must pick from three caskets, left by her late father, in order to win her hand. A Maharajah (Mikhail Sen) has a go and chooses the golden box, which does not go his way and he leaves. The flamboyant Arragon (Joseph Millson) then chooses the silver box and, again, does not find the picture of Portia which means she will be his wife. Portia is hoping that it will be Bassanio that chooses the right casket, so that she can marry him.

In the second act, we see Portia and her maid Nerissa (Evie Hargreaves - Too Much World At Once, Clomping About) find Bassanio and cajole him into choosing the right casket. Portia and Bassanio marry and she gifts him a ring and tells him to never take it off or give it away, or they will be over. Bassanio then receives word from Antonio that Shylock wants her pound of flesh and he runs to his side, to be there when it happens. Portia and Nerissa leave Lorenzo and his now-wife, Jessica, in charge of the estate. In court, Shylock insists that she does not want paying, but, instead wants her pound of flesh, and it seems as though it is about to happen, when the arrival of a lawyer and clerk (Portia and Nerissa dressed as men) swoop in to save Antonio from the ordeal. Portia tells Shylock that she can have her pound of flesh, as per the agreement, but as the agreement does not mention blood that she must cut it from him without a drop of blood spilled, or face the consequences of giving up her worldly goods to Antonio and they state.

Shylock, not wanting to lose everything, tries to back out and take the money. Instead, she ends up with nothing as Antonio gains half of her estate because she cannot uphold the forfeit and cut the pound of flesh from him. As a thanks to the lawyer, Brassiano hands Portia the ring she had told him to never give away. Shylock is left penniless and without a home. Portia and Nerissa return to the family estate before Brassiano and Gratiano (Xavier Starr - The Incredibly Scary Object, Parablesque) - Nerissa’s husband - hatch the plan to get rid of their husbands for the betrayal. Portia gives the ring to Antonio to give to Brassiano, who realises what the ring is and begs her forgiveness, but it is too late. The play ends with the reenactment of the backdrop of the play, in which a fascist march in the east-end of London was thwarted by a number of minority groups, including British Jews and communists, banded together, and they were not let through. Oberman’s great-grandmother was one of the women there, when it happened, stopping them from allowing any of them to cause any more trouble. I loved the relation it had to the real-life history of Oberman and her family.

From start to finish, I was mesmerised by this play. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and, despite being written in the 1500’s and being set in 1936, really resonated with a modern audience strongly. The use of projections of real newspaper headlines taught me something that I had no idea about, despite my studies of the 1930s in history lessons. When you think of fascism, you don’t think of it being in this country and it was a part of British history that is not taught and I think definitely should be. Especially now.

Tracy-Ann Oberman as Shylock was just perfect. She went from sarcastic to heartbreaking at the drop of a hat and really brought the whole play together. I loved the way that she portrayed a strong, independent woman, who, despite her best efforts, was downtrodden by the society she found herself in. Her Shylock is something that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Her performance was harrowing and wonderful. Joseph Millson was brilliant in his role as Antonio, wearing his disgust for Shylock in the way he moved and his love for his friend, Brassiano, in everything that he did. His portrayal of the extravagant Arragon was simply hilarious. His accent was en-pointe and his mannerisms were so over the top and really fitted the role perfectly. It made you love him, after disliking him as Antonio. Gavin Fowler brought a swagger and air of arrogance to the role of Brassiano that made me, as an audience member, dislike him immensely. But, it worked perfectly for the storyline. He was wonderful and often funny, especially in choosing the correct casket, and I really enjoyed his performance. Georgie Fellows gave a scheming and righteous air to the way she played Portia, which really brought the moment in the courtroom a new level of ruthlessness, as she pretended to be a man to better Shylock. She made me laugh, too, especially in her descriptions of men, in act one. I found myself agreeing with Portia’s ideas of men. It was very relatable, even now, in the 21st century.

Gráinne Dromgoole brought a naive and innocent Jessica into a world that she didn’t fit into, despite her changing religions. It was difficult to see a girl struggling to be something that society deemed she never would be. Mikhail Sen in his roles as Lorenzo and Maharajah were equally as brilliant as each other. I loved his switch from the in-love and youthful Lorenzo to the almost desperate Maharajah. Evie Hargreaves was joyous as both of her roles, Nerissa and Mary. She upheld the humour of her characters with ease and made me smile everytime she entered the stage. Xavier Starr was momentous as the old-school posh boy, Gratiano. His stuck-up portrayal of a privileged white man made me, as an audience member, cringe, in a good way. You could see the arrogance in his character in just the way he stood. Alex Zur (The Great Gatsby, Hamlet) covered many roles, from the Duke, to a Black Shirt and created a brand new person every time he appeared on the stage. His quick character changes were seamless and made you believe it was a different person, which helped with his use of perfectly executed differing accents. Elly Roberts (Sex Education, Black Cake) brought the cast to a full house with her roles as Portia’s maid, Stefania and a Black Shirt. She, like Zur, added to the cast in the most brilliant way, performing to her fullest, even when she wasn’t speaking.

This classic play, with a twist, is the work of Shakespeare, adapted by Brigid Lamour and Tracy-Ann Oberman, and is done in such a powerful way. It shows the audience how the human race never really learns, as history repeats itself, but also shows how pain and suffering make people ever more determined to create a better life for them and those around them that are also targeted and marginalised. It tells the incredible tale of people who have been targeted as the problem of all society who are not the problem at all. In this current political climate, with new legislation being made, worldwide, everyday, to further segregate different groups in society and blame them for problems that politicians have made, it makes this play and this adaptation, especially, evermore relevant and incredibly thought-provoking.

The Merchant of Venice 1936 is at Lowry until Saturday 1st March. If you love Shakespeare, you will love this. But, also, it will make you open your eyes and relate to the world around you on a whole new level. The cast, crew and everyone involved with this production should be extremely proud of the important message that this tale tells. I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed this production and know that you will love it too.

WE SCORE THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 1936...