Writer: William Shakespeare
Director: Arin Arbus
There was a time, maybe twenty years ago, when good solid productions of Shakespeare plays, like this one, were generally available. Now they are astonishingly rare. This full-scale American production, with its cast of fourteen excellent players, has arrived in Edinburgh as the result of an inspired cultural exchange between the Royal Lyceum and the New York based company TFANA –Theatre For A New Audience. It’s taken a great deal of logistics to get the team here, together with much corporate sponsorship and individual philanthropy. In the current climate for the arts, this is a hugely valuable venture and it truly deserves to be seen. It’s as good an exploration of The Merchant Of Venice as you’re ever likely to find.
Refreshingly, this production doesn’t feel the need to mess around with the text, so it’s a straightforward, genuine rendition of a Shakespeare play; you can learn from it. Having said that, the direction and styling reflect present day mores. There are some smart twenty-first century touches that enhance the humour of a piece that balances awkwardly between being a comedy and a ‘problem play’. We first encounter Portia (Isabel Arraiza) boxercising while her maid Nerissa (Shirine Babb) stands by in full ‘personal assistant’ mode. Both give outstanding performances.
The diversity of the cast adds freshness and relevance to proceedings, bringing out some thought-provoking parallels between the intolerance and discrimination of Shakespeare’s era and our own. This is, after all, what director Arin Arbus calls one of the Bard’s ‘ugliest’ plays, because of its unsettling themes. The casting of the superb John Douglas Thompson as a Black Shylock widens the exploration of otherness in society.
The delivery of speeches by the cast is clear and meaningful, with few important lines thrown away. It’s obvious that a lot of work has gone into this, led by Arbus with input from dramaturg Jonathan Kalb. This was never going to become one of those awful Shakespeare experiences in which actors spout lines as if they can understand them, but the audience can’t hope to. Far from it. The audience here paid such rapt attention to the words that they gave an audible little sigh or chuckle at the end of particularly poignant lines. It’s fair to regard this as a triumph of theatrical communication. It’s not surprising, then, that the cast is given prolonged applause at the end, as it’s well earned and thoroughly deserved.
The set is both a blessing and a curse. The stage is taken up by three tiers of steps leading to a dull monolith of a building that resembles Orwell’s Ministry of Truth. While the set facilitates transitory action well, highlighting colour and movement, the steps sometimes restrict what is possible in terms of stage business. Nevertheless, the blocking is excellent and the pace never wavers. All in all, this is a fantastic night (or day) out – entertaining, educational and vibrant.
Runs until 15 February 2025 Image: Henry Grossman