Writer: William Shakespeare
Adaptor: Brigid Larmour from an idea by Tracy-Ann Oberman
Director: Brigid Larmour
It is not unusual to set Shakespeare’s plays in times and places other than those stated in the text. However, Brigid Larmour’s staging of The Merchant of Venice in a specific time and location- the east end of London in 1936- results in a compelling and sharply relevant production.
In 1936 there is an active fascist political party in the UK. As the authorities turn a blind eye to their excessive activities it falls to communities to rise up and protest; as in London’s Cable Street when a provocative march by the British Union of Fascists is stopped by a multi-faith group of residents .At this time Shylock (Tracy-Ann Oberman) a Jewish money lender agrees to make funds available to a merchant of Venice , Antonio (Raymond Coulthard) to finance his friend Bassanio (Adam Buchanan ) courting wealthy Portia (Hannah Morrish). In an ambivalent gesture Shylock specifies a pound of flesh as penalty for defaulting on the loan. But when events push Shylock to extremes, she demands payment in full.
The Merchant of Venice is a problematic play. It is not just the antisemitism which is a challenge for contemporary audiences but also it is very hard to find a single likeable character in the play. The male characters are laddish boors and the women content to be married to louts. Director Brigid Larmour does not gloss over this issue but uses it to make a vivid parallel with contemporary UK. The non-Jewish characters are played as members of the privileged elite. Xavier Starr interprets Gratiano as a full-on oafish Boris Johnson type making his smoother chum Bassanio a David Cameron match.
Privilege and social class run through the production. The ‘quality of mercy’ speech is spoken not as a compassionate appeal for clemency but as a condescending lecture from a member of the upper class to a subordinate. It is suggested Antonio is not only gay but his passion for Bassanio is unrequited. One might, therefore, expect him to relate to fellow outsider Shylock, but Antonio’s privileged position means he does not have to fear being ostracised – in his ‘gentleman’s club’ he can even try and steal a kiss from the object of his desire.
Larmour does not ignore the lighter side of the play. Portia’s dispatching of unwanted suitors is played as a Noël Coward tribute with Hannah Morrish in a silk gown and discrete piano playing in the background.
Tracy-Ann Oberman plays Shylock as neither comic villain nor antihero but simply a human being pushed to extremes. It is clear the odds are against Shylock – police officers patrolling the neighbourhood are openly disdainful of the moneylender and have no objection to drunken thugs urinating on her doorstep. Until the close of act one there is a possibility Shylock could go either way, but an act of betrayal shows she has nothing to lose by demanding retribution. The Merchant of Venice 1936 is clearly a passion project for Oberman who, in the epilogue, drops her European accent and addresses the audience direct in a call-to-arms.
The battle of Cable Street involved communities, rather than the authorities, rejecting fascism. From the beginning of the play, therefore, director Larmour builds a strong communal vibe. Audience members are seated on stage joining the cast in a ritual Jewish toast and are encouraged to take part in the closing scene. The warm opening allows a shocking moment to illustrate the changing mood of society – Raymond Coulthard crushing his yarmulke disdainfully and making a fascist salute. When the play reaches the courtroom scenes Antonio has worked his way into the ruling class so effectively, he shows up in full military uniform.
In Shakespeare’s day it was traditional to end a play with a dance. The Merchant of Venice 1936 is unique in ending with a riot- a re-enactment of the battle of Cable Street showing Shylock might be battered but is far from unbowed.
The Merchant of Venice 1936 turns one of Shakespeare’s least appealing plays into an easily accessible and gripping production.
Runs until the 25 March 2023
