Review: The Merchant of Venice

By Jackie Jacobsen

In theory, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice should benefit richly from the interaction between a Holocaust survivor and Merchant’s most unsavoury characters. As a play-within-a-play, where a 78-year old survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto observes a rehearsal of Shakespeare’s most controversial work in Venice, the production is well-placed to juxtapose medieval anti-Semitism with its horrific endpoint. Unfortunately, Julia Pascal’s production at the Arcola Theatre dulls this simmering tension by experimenting with too many artistic directions and plot enhancements.

Having the small cast perform as the house band is distracting, and the choice of ‘40s jazz ditties does much to dispel the ambience provided by the actors’ capable rendition of the drama. A lustful kiss between Antonio and his friend Bassanio is entirely gratuitous and adds nothing to the plot. The new scenes between Shylock and his beloved daughter are obviously inserted to soften his character, but feel contrived and forced.

It is worth sitting through these moments of lost direction, however, to witness the electric moment when the nameless Holocaust survivor, played by a poignant Ruth Posner, stands face-to-face with Antonio in the midst of his impassioned anti-Semitic soliloquy. It is in these moments when the play regains its heart and rewards the audience with a truly mesmerizing theatre experience.