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a blistering production

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William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is a story of racism, bigotry, love, faith, justice and vengeance. This Theatre for a New Audience production, directed by Arin Arbus, has come to Edinburgh from Brooklyn, New York, in an exchange visit after the Lycem’s Macbeth (an undoing) performed there in 2024. 

Brief outline of the plot. Bassanio (Ariel Shafir)  is in love with Portia (Isabel Arraiza) a wealthy heiress, and needs money to woo her. He asks his merchant friend, Antonio (Alfredo Narciso), to borrow 3,000 ducats from the Jewish money lender, Shylock (John Douglas Thompson). Due to their mutual antipathy, they settle on a bond of a pound of flesh to be recovered if the loan is not repaid on time. These accomplished scenes crackle with unnerving tension and racial hatred. 

Lighter scenes follow, with the pursuit of Portia by her unlucky suitors, with lighthearted relief from the Prince of Arragon (Varín Ayala) and Prince of Morocco (Maurice Jones). The comic timing Shirine Babb, as her maid Nerissa, was a particular favourite, and Bassanio ultimately triumphs to win his bride. Another love story unfolds, with Shylock’s daughter Jessica (Danaya Esperanza) eloping with Lorenzo (Ðavid Lee Huỳnh), along with her father’s money and jewels, and renouncing her Judaism. The scenes of Jessica and Shylock together are particularly moving – and culminates in a startling final scene together. 

The climax of the play focuses on Shylock’s inexorable pursuit of his bond, and ultimately being granted only his bond, he finds himself in financial and spiritual ruin. The sheer brutality of this scene, where Shylock is pleaded with to show mercy to the Christian, grinds uncomfortably up against the subsequent torment that is inflicted against him. The parallels between the words and dehumanising actions bring to mind chilling parallels with the current world.  

There were word-perfect performances from the cast, but ultimately everyone is outshone by John Douglas Thomas’s powerhouse portrayal of Shylock. Cascading through the gamut of human emotions, it was impossible to tear your eyes from him, particularly in scenes where he was unbuttoned with grief and incandescent with rage.

Any apprehension the audience may have held before the performance about the combination of  American accents and Shakespeare were swiftly dismissed. After a few minutes, the novelty melts aways, resulting in a very accessible production. The overall tone of the performance was perhaps more unusual to a traditional Shakespeare play. There were instances were the jokes were over-egged just a beat too long, just to make sure the audience heard them, and some of the dramatic scenes almost edged on pantomime – in the courtroom when Shylock is finally advancing with knife in hand to claim his bond, there is a very laboured and melodramatic scene behind him, until he’s commanded to stop. 

However, this does not detract from some startlingly dramatic scenes. The cruelty shown towards Shylock, as his kippah and tallit are ripped away from him, is a highlight across the whole cast, and the final scene with Shylock and Jessica singing the Jewish prayer Kol Nidre is simply breathtaking. 

The staging is also unique – stark, industrial and Brutalist in nature, contrasting beautifully with the colourfully ornate surroundings of the theatre. Our setting is “an American city, in the near future”, although all the references to Italian locations remain, with modern flashes through costumes, ‘bro culture’ mannerisms and technology. Some of these are more skilfully implemented than others – for example, the use of mobile phones to demonstrate messages and photos being shared between the players feels natural, whilst the use of vapes in one scene seemed more incongruous.

This production boldly shakes off the presumption of Shakespeare being the sole domain of posh actors in ruff collars. Over 400 years since the Merchant of Venice was first performed, this production’s candle throws its beams far, with a blistering retelling of a story that has never been more relevant to our modern world.