Reader Reviews
The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | There is always a risk at the Globe of playing too much to the audience, particularly the groundlings who are grateful for any opportunity to forget the discomfort of standing on concrete for three hours. Rebecca Gatward's production falls into that trap too often and much of the laughter seems inappropriate given the frequent anti-semitism of the play. This production also suffers from too many over-the-top performances, particularly a quite appalling Gratiano. In complete contrast John McEnery is nondescript as Shylock with absolutely no sense of the true awfulness of his forced conversion at the end of the trial. As a result the focus of this version falls on Portia and fortunately we are rewarded with a superb performance from Kirsty Besterman, originally cast as the maid Nerissa. She brilliantly conveys Portia's response to her various suitors and it is her performance during the trial scene that lifts this production above he mediocre. - David baxter | 15 Jul 07 |
