Review - The Merchant Of Venice
Venue: Octagon, Bolton
Date Reviewed: 20th September, 2008
Why revive Shakespeare’s morally ambiguous look at the super-wealthy? The Merchant Of Venice is hardly dripping with the great speeches of some of the tragedies and history plays.
Moreover, it’s been oft-criticised for its anti-Semitic treatment of the Jewish usurers of its day, and lurches (sometimes uneasily) between farcically comic plot devices and shocking moments of barbarism and cruelty.
Mark Babych’s interpretation for the Octagon answers all of these questions in a truly exceptional production, that is pretty much faultless.
Hard-up Bassanio (Paul Barnhill) wants to travel from Venice to Belmont, to try and win the hand of wealthy heiress Portia (Emily Pithon.) He asks his friend Antonio (Octagon patron, Wylie Longmore) to lend him the money, who, in turn borrows it from Jewish moneylender Shylock (David Fielder) offering a pound of his own flesh should he not repay the debt on time.
Meanwhile, Shylock’s daughter Jessica (Catherine Kinsella) flees home to convert to Christianity, with her lover Lorenzo (Neil Madden). When these two worlds collide, and Shylock is attacked, he seeks his promised penalty.
In a lean, trimmed version of the text, Babych’s taut direction brings the moral dilemma to the fore, choosing to present Shylock as a coarse, vulgar figure, before revealing his humanity and vulnerability. Balancing comic highpoints (Paul Simpson’s brilliant Launcelot Gobbo) with episodes of simmering violence, this is edge-of-the-seat stuff, and truly riveting stuff.
Tom Scutt’s smoke-and-mirrors design is exquisite; all burnished metal, sharp suits, high heels and studied minimalism. Against this, the production gleams like a diamond, aided by Brent Lees’ burnished lighting and a series of woozy pop songs, used to unsettling effect. Take note, other producing houses; this is a first-rate Shakespeare adaptation.
The company don’t put a foot wrong; if these performances were gracing a London stage, they would be garnering awards. Wyllie Longmore’s Antonio is a noble, moral figure, and he imbues the text with a sense of calm dignity.
As Gratiano, Simeon Truby is loveably vulgar, like a second division football manager on the up. Emily Pithon’s Portia is a full, fresh and vital reading of the character.
Superb work too from Coronation Street’s Jenny Platt (Nerissa) and Octagon regular Kinsella; both manage to make a huge impact, with Kinsella in particular, offering an intriguing slant on Shylock’s daughter.
Fielder is breathtakingly good, as he brings precise detail to the role, and he is unafraid to show the unpleasant aspects of Shylock’s dealings, which precede the contrasting broken and bereft man in the second act.
Quite why Fielder is not a household name remains a mystery; as he is one of the best stage actors in the country, and this is one of his best performances, that I have seen.
With this production, Babych has raised the bar at the Octagon yet again. His Merchant is so entertaining and richly rewarding, that it could win over the most ardent of Shakespeare resistors.
If this is an indication of the season ahead (Babych’s last as Artistic Director) then audiences are in for a treat.
Theatrical perfection!
-Matthew Nichols