THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. To 21 October.
Edinburgh
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
by William Shakespeare.
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Steet, Edinburgh EH3 9AX To 21 Oct 2006
Tues - Sat 7:45pm Mat 2:30pm 11,14 Oct.
BSL Signed 11 Oct 7:45pm.
Runs 2 hrs 30 mins. One interval.
TICKETS: - 0131 248 4848.
www.lyceum.org.uk
Review: Thelma Good 23 September.
Problem play continues to fascinate.
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is viewed as a problem play. Was Shakespeare hoping someone would go beyond discomfort at the harsh treatment of the Jew and cry out in protest? Certainly the humanness of the outsider is emphasised.
Running alongside the tale of Antonio the Merchant and his decision to borrow money to advance his friend Bassanio’s suit from Shylock, is the story of Portia, a young woman of spirit whose deceased father’s consent to her marriage is locked in one of three caskets.
Mark Thomson’s production is set by designer Gregory Smith within glittering walls that reflect the lighting of Chris Davey, watery blue for Venice, or peach warm tones for Portia’s large house in Belmont. The male cast are costumed in suits, with the female inhabitants of Belmont clothed in orange, peach and gold tones reminiscent of mid-60’s movie stars. The production’s updating works though Jessica’s version of Christian dress is OTT and Jimmy Chisholm’s ringlets and hatted Hasidic Shylock has caused upset in some quarters.
Neve McIntosh’s Portia is an excellent portrayal of a intelligent young woman and Nerissa her maid is given just the right amount of gutsy, humorous zip by Suzanne Donaldson. As Bassanio a man in need of a rich heiress Liam Brennan in his nervous concern and anxious almost trembling demeanour has us believing with relief his genuine love for Portia.
Thomson’s Merchant pricked my conscience with Chisholm’s not-played-to-be-sympathetic Hasidic Shylock. Listening to the play’s arguments back and forth, enjoying the portrayal of emerging flirtation and love and seeing the bombastic and darkly comic energy of Steven McNicoll’’s Gratiano as he dives with enthusiasm on any possible chance of persecution, underlines why the play continues to fascinate.
The mix of comedy in the romantic tale of the three sets of lovers and the dark examination of how the majority treat outsiders with foreign customs with or without the use of the law may not feel like a completely-jelled play but the tension created between these two stories intrigues.
Shylock – Jimmy Chisholm
Bassanio: Liam Brennan
Antonio: Neil McKinven
Tubal – Eric Barlow
Solanio – Richard Conlon
Jessica – Ruth Connell
Nerissa – Suzanne Donaldson
Morroco – Christopher John Hall
Lorenzo – Robert Jack
Salerio – Gavin Kean
Portia – Neve McIntosh
Launcelot Gobbo – Mark McDonnell
Gratiano – Steven McNicoll
Arragon – Harry Smith
Belmont Ladies – Members of Lyceum Youth Theatre: Sinead MacInnes. Ailidh Ogilvie, Catriona Robertson
Director: Mark Thomson
Designer: Gregory Smith
Lighting: Chris Davey
Composer: Philip Pinsky
Assistant Designer: Jessica Brettle
2006-10-08 02:40:24