The Merchant of Venice

‘The Merchant of Venice’, being a love story and thriller combined, is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays for schools. Here, it continues its highly successful season at Subiaco Arts Centre Studio, 180 Hamersley Rd, Subiaco twice daily, with a Special School Matinee on the 8^th and 9^th September at 10.00 am and the evening shows 7.30 pm. 

 

       The scene is Venice in the 20^th century. Bassanio (Josh Walker) is once again asking his rich and noble friend, Antonio (Stephen Lee), for a further loan. However, being a little short of cash, Antonio suggests that Bassanio finds a moneylender, and that he will stand surety.
        Bassanio hits upon Shylock (David Meadows), a Jew, who is not happy about taking a guarantee from Antonio who has proved to be anti-Semitic, and also loans money at minimal rates, thus damaging Shylock’s business. So Shylock makes the unreasonable demand that Antonio should forfeit a pound of flesh should his friend not repay the debt. The deal is agreed.
         With money in hand Bassanio, accompanied by his frivolous friend, Gratiano (Shirley Van Sanden) leaves for Belmont where his true love Portia (Cassandra Vagliviello) lives.
Portia’s father has just died, and knowing that there will be a line of possible suitors for his daughter, has left a test to find the appropriate husband. The test is to choose correctly from one of three caskets, one of gold, the others of silver, and lead. Chose wrongly and the man will lose Portia forever.
         The mercenary Prince of Morocco (David Meadows) reads the writing on the caskets and decides on the gold casket. He gets a few gold coins. Next is the obnoxious, loud-mouthed yob, Prince of Arragon (Stephen Lee) who decides wrongly to choose silver that declares him a fool. Finally Bassanio, with hints from Portia’s maid, Nerissa (Angelique Malcolm), correctly chooses the lead casket.
         Meanwhile Antonio's fleet of ships are lost at sea, and he is now insolvent. When Shylock’s daughter, Jessica (Sarah McKellar), converts to Christianity in order to marry Lorenzo (Iskandar Sharazuddin), Shylock is even more determined to seek his revenge on Antonio.
         Now married to Portia, Bassanio hears from Antonio that he has been unable to repay the loan.
         With money from Portia, Bassanio and Gratiano travel to Venice where Shylock refuses ‘three score the debt’ as repayment, insisting upon his pound of flesh.  However Portia has also sent her attendant Balthazar to get legal advice from her cousin, Bellario.
Antonio is summonsed to appear in Court before of the Duke of Venice (Sarah McKellar), who, being a friend of the family tries his best to save Antonio, but faced with an unusual legal precedent allows a new solicitor to the city, Balthazar, to take over the case for the defence.
 
          Could it be that in this production Portia loses the case? Had Bassanio gone to Nedlands instead of Belmont would he have avoided all this trouble?
 
 
The whole purpose of going to the theatre is to enjoy the production and understand the story. As a youth I remember how incredibly heavy and boring Shakespeare was. It was difficult to relate to, always being delivered in a strange Olde English tongue and meted out with a stiff upper lip. The school kids of today probably do not realise how lucky they are having a wonderful theatre troupe like Class Act, who can bring the play into a contemporary mode, and deliver the original script it in a manner that is today’s normal conversation. Yet in doing this, amazingly none of the original quality or message is lost, quite the reverse it is totally comprehensible.

In every production I have seen in the past, Shylock was a small built, stooping, hand-wringing sniveller, here David meadows with his big frame has a truly threatening attitude as he demands his rights. Two girls behind me gasped ‘Oh God he is going to do it!’ as he neared Antonio with his knife. He was most convincing, a money lender straight from today’s Underbelly.

Many of the cast had a couple of very different characters to play. Angelique was the reliable Nerissa and Launcelot Gobbo, the simpleton messenger, for Shylock. Sarah, the loving daughter and the empowered American Salarino. Iskandar was the lover Lorenzo and the quiet, nervous Jewish friend, Tubal.

Director Stephen Lee made perfect casting with Cassie Vagliviello as Portia; she shone with love and yet strutted powerfully as the solicitor. Great performances from Shirley as the excitable and well intentioned Gratiano, and Josh Walker as Bassanio, devastated at how things had worked out for his friend.

The cast’s timing was perfect, the intonation and enunciation was faultless. Everyone used their whole bodies to impart the full richness of the text. The use of mobile phones for the messages and an i-pod for Shylock to calculate his interest charges made the situation even more believable.

Aaron Stirk did an excellent job of lighting with a minimal rig, and Katrina Johnston in the bio box was admirable.

In spite of already having completed the two and three-quarter-hour performance (one 15-minute interval) earlier in the day, the actors remained focused and delivered the full drama of the situation.

Shakespearean purists will struggle, but the audience loved it. A long play but totally absorbing, the time flew.

The quality of acting was not strain'd, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven. An outstanding production, with very few seats left so be quick.