For Some, Merchant of Venice Still About Stereotypes
"The frank depiction of anti-Semitism on the part of ostensibly sympathetic characters can make watching it an unsettling experience for modern audiences. Here the play’s religious overtones are almost entirely obliterated," New York Times Theater critic Charles Isherwood wrote of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, which runs at the Brooklyn Academy of Music through Sunday.
The play, set in a jailhouse and acted by the all-male London-based Propeller Company, delves into the story of the money-lending Shylock and the merchant Antonio, and expertly brings unease to the audience with stark references to the worst brand of stereotypes.
At a discussion with the cast at the Harvey Theater after the May 7th performance, the audience questioned the actors and director Edward Hall. The discussion turned to how audiences in different places perceive the play’s anti-semitic jabs.
Bob Barrett, who plays Antonio, said he was happy to be performing the show for what he deemed a more pro-Jewish audience in Brooklyn. Cast member Chris Myles (above, left), who plays the servant Nerissa, a female character, chimed in with his past experience performing Merchant of Venice.
"I did a production of this play in Germany before as well [with a different company], and it’s quite astonishing, at times you can hear a pin drop."
Other cast members agreed that at performances in Italy and later Japan, it was clear that some audiences perceived the jabs as truth.
At the other side of the cultural sensitivity spectrum was an audience member who inquired about the variety of accents used by the British cast. She alleged that Jewish characters spoke with what she perceived as lower-class accents as opposed to the supposedly higher-class accents of Antonio or other goyim roles. The cast assured her that this was not intentional, and probably not true.
The production is interesting and provocative – as nights at BAM tend to be – mostly because of the all-male cast and jailhouse setting. And unlike most things, the Merchant of Venice has gotten progressively less prejudiced with age.
And besides, Mr. Myles said, "I finally got to show my tits on stage."
