That the character is Jewish is central to the plot and an insight to anti-Semitism in Shakespeare’s England. PICT Classic Theatre has taken the script intact and moved it ahead to post-World War II, a time when it took the bombing of Pearl Harbor to get America involved in the battle and genocide being waged overseas.
1 comment:
I love how the PICT is trying to make the Merchant of Venice applicable to a variety of time periods by setting it in the 1930’s. I hope that the message is clear that this play is not only applicable to 1930s but to modern times as well. Also, I would like to see how they attempt to manage the line of comedy vs drama. I feel that the message that all people feel like outsider at some point in time can get lost if their isn’t the right balance between the two. I think it’s interesting that they feel that the basis for the actors interpretation of Shylock’s based on a small interaction with his daughter. Family connections are the basis for how we interact with other in the world. Often times, a person’s reaction to something makes more sense once you know something about their family. I hope that the PICT’s production of the Merchant of Venice is a success and that they get the drama to comedy balance correct.
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