The Shakespeare Forum
presents

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

By WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Directed by ANDREW BORTHWICK–LESLIE & SYBILLE BRUUN

Featuring
DOMINIC COMPERATORE, JOSEPH MENINO, FRANCIS MATEO,
HANNAH ROSE GOALSTONE, JOHN SMILEY, ZACH LIBRESCO, IMANI JADE POWERS, SARAH HANKINS, LASH DOOLEY, MICHAEL MORENO, BILL COYNE, GABRIEL LAWRENCE, ELEKTRA BIRCHALL, IVAN BIRCHALL, & EQUIANO MOSIERI

Scenic & Lighting Design: MARIE YOKOYAMA
Costume Design: BRITTANY MEROLA
Stage Manager: GINA COSTAGLIOLA
Verse Coach: TYLER MOSS

The Gym at Judson
243 Thompson Street at Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
(212) 352-3101 or www.theshakespeareforum.org
May 29, 2014 through June 14, 2014

You may know the story of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Shakespeare’s classic pits Christian versus Jew, with both sides getting in their slings and arrows against the other. Love, hate, mercy, and revenge are the driving forces.

Bassanio needs big bucks to woo his beloved, wealthy Portia. He puts the touch on his good friend Antonio, a prosperous merchant. Unfortunately, Antonio is experiencing a short-term cash-flow problem, but offers an alternative. He will put up his future earnings as collateral for a loan from Shylock, the local moneylender. That’s the way finance works in medieval Venice.

Shylock isn’t king of the loan sharks because he’s a sweet-hearted guy. He’s one tough cookie and nobody’s fool. He wants a back-up guarantee, in case Antonio’s profits don’t materialize. His demand: a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Against Bassanio’s protests, Antonio agrees.

The lovely Portia has her own problems. Her late father, extending his control from the grave, won’t let her marry just anyone. He left three locked boxes. She may marry only the man who chooses the box containing her portrait. She and her bestie, Nerissa, share their dismay at this system, but must obey.

The tension rises as Antonio’s funds do not arrive in time. It doesn’t help that Shylock’s daughter has eloped with a Christian and converted. Shylock, feeling mocked and betrayed, will have his pound of flesh, cut fresh from Antonio’s chest. The law backs him up. Pleas for mercy go unheeded. I’ll leave it at that.

This is an excellent production. Clean, crisp, and clear, it evokes the love, foolishness, and merriment of the situation while hitting hard on the serious issues of bigotry and the lust for revenge. That it is performed in modern dress takes nothing away from the experience. Aside from JOSEPH MENINO as the bitter Shylock, the ladies steal the show. HANNAH ROSE GOALSTONE is the perfect Portia, SARAH HANKINS the absolutely believable maidservant/best friend. IMANI JADE POWERS is darling as Shylock’s daring daughter, Jessica. The staging is beautiful, simple, and effective. It is a smooth, lovely rendition of this classic. It deserves a full house for every performance.

-Karen D’Onofrio-