The Merchant of Venice 1936 Adaption Bridget Larmour & Tracy-Ann Oberman, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 6 Centenary Square, B1 2EP, 3☆☆☆. Review: Joanna Jarvis.
Photo Credit: Marc Brenner.
The Merchant of Venice 1936
Adapted by Bridget Larmour and Tracy-Ann Oberman
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 6 Centenary Square, B1 2EP,
3☆☆☆. Review: Joanna Jarvis
“A thought-provoking re-imagining of this difficult tale.”
For a modern audience the Merchant of Venice is a difficult play. The antisemitism is stark and brutal; however, it is also a play about loyalty, mercy and the law.
Bridget Larmour and Tracy-Ann Oberman have worked together to re-imagined Shylock as a woman, channelling the memory of Oberman’s grandmother. She, and other east end matriarchs, not all Jewish, stood against Oswold Mosely at the battle of Cable Street in 1936. This setting sits well with the narrative and brings into clear focus the antisemitism inherent in the play. Sounds of rioting and smashing glass off stage echo the pogroms of the past and Kristallnacht yet to come.
Oberman’s Shylock is a powerful force at the centre of a strong family and community. In Shakespeare’s terms, this character is a villain, greed and hatred have twisted her personality. A female Shylock gives us the opportunity for more nuance in the character as she is a matriarch caring for her family.
Throughout the play Liz Cooke’s set and costumes add to the overall re-location. Shylock’s clothes complete her character as an east end Jewish woman. Portia’s white silk evening dress and the pseudo military uniforms all add to the unsettling nature of the unfolding story.
Portia, played with brittle intelligence by Georgie Fellows, must watch helplessly as her suiters choose from caskets of gold, silver and lead. The correct choice will determine who she marries. This important theme is played for comedy, which works well for the first two suiters. But Bassanio, a lovesick Gavin Fowler, will make the correct choice as he loves Portia for herself. This crucial moment is diluted by prompting in song from Portia’s maid Nerissa. It is Bassanio’s true love for Portia and his loyalty to his friend Antonio that will lead her to dress as a lawyer and defend Antonio in court.
Portia and Antonio are played as fascist leaning socialites. It is chilling to hear Portia’s crisp aristocratic pronunciation and to see Antonio in a fascist uniform. However, this gives further weight to the 1930s east end setting in the final court room scene. Shylock stands alone facing the authority of the state. Ranged against her is the growing power of the fascists.
Shakespeare’s play is a story of friendship, loyalty and thwarted revenge, but the effort to refocus on the wider social aspect of the narrative has muddied the waters for some of these themes. Oberman’s Shylock is a striking re-imagining of this character. She is a strong and forceful single mother. But some of the anomalies between this and the villainy of her personality are never quite resolved.
Throughout the play projections of Moseley’s black shirt marches remind us of the setting, although this felt a little heavy-handed. The prologue and epilogue that reinforce the social context and the ever-present need for tolerance are enough.
Cast
Shylock – Tracy-Ann Oberman
Antonio/Arragon – Joseph Millson
Portia – Georgie Fellows
Bassanio – Gavin Fowler
Jessica – Gráinne Dromgoole
Lorenzo/Maharaja – Mikhail Sen
Gratiano/Police Constable
Mary/Nerissa – Evie Hargeaves
Barman/Yuval/Balthasar(Portia’s butler)/Duke – Alex Zur
Stefania(Portia’s maid)/Fascist blackshirt – Elly Roberts
Creatives
Adaption – Bridget Larmour and Tracy-Ann Oberman
Director – Bridget Larmour
Associate Director – Tracy-Ann Oberman
Costume and Set Designer – Liz Cooke
Lighting Designer – Rory Beaton
Sound Designer – Sarah Weltman
Composer – Erran Baron Cohen
Opening Seder sequence – Annabel Arden
Movement Directors – Annabel Arden and Leah Hausman
Video Designer – Greta Zabulyte