Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare’s Globe)

Jonathan Pryce (Shylock ); Rachel Pickup (Portia); Daniel Lapaine (Bassanio); Dominic Mafham (Antonio); Phoebe Pryce (Jessica); David Sturzaker (Gratiano); Brian Martin (Salarino); Christopher Logan (Prince of Arragon); Ben Lamb (Lorenzo); Scott Karim (Prince of Morocco); Philip Cox (Balthasar); Stefan Adegbola (Lancelot Gobbo);

Portia, a wealthy heiress of Belmont, is forced to set her suitors a challenge. The winner will win her hand in marriage; the losers will lose her hand and much more. In Venice, the epicentre of consumption, speculation and debt, Bassanio borrows money from his friend Antonio to finance his attempt. Antonio, in turn, takes out a loan from the moneylender Shylock. The loan will be repaid when Antonio’s ships return to the city. But if the ships fail to return, and the money cannot be repaid, Antonio will give to Shylock a pound of his own flesh. And they do fail. And Shylock will have his ‘bond’.

In some of his most highly-charged scenes, Shakespeare dramatises the competing claims of tolerance and intolerance, religious law and civil society, justice and mercy; while in the character of Shylock he created one of the most memorableoutsiders in all theatre.

Reviews

"Jonathan Munby's exceptionally well-told, well-played, well-paced, well-dressed revival... The Globe at its best." (The Mail on Sunday ★★★★★)

"A finely balanced, intelligent production." (The Times ★★★★)

"Jonathan Pryce is electrifyingly good… Jonathan Munby’s production really sings." (Time Out ★★★★)

"Jonathan Pryce, making his Globe debut, presents us with a Shylock of weight, gravity and considerable complexity." (The Guardian ★★★★)

"Director Jonathan Munby ... extracts maximum comedy. He gives full weight to the romance, with Daniel Lapine and David Sturzaker excellent as the Venetian young bloods." (The Sunday Express ★★★★)

"Jonathan Munby’s oak-solid, finely weighted production… The lighter and darker elements combine in a seamless whole." (The Daily Telegraph)

"Jonathan Pryce as Shylock and his daughter, Phoebe … an inspiration. It’s a family affair – a double star turn." (The Observer ★★★★★)

"Pryce is excellent, with a notable gravitas and richness of performance. There’s particularly lovely work from Dorothea Myer-Bennett as Nerissa… she offers a delicious range of expressive looks and gestures." (The Evening Standard)

"A revival that boasts a fine Bassanio in Daniel Lapaine and re-focuses the role of Gratiano (David Sturzaker) as a really good one." (WhatsOn Stage ★★★★)