The New Theatre, Cardiff
It is a little tricky reviewing a show built around a well-known Jewish television soap actress being the first woman to play Shakespeare’s Shylock because of her family connections with the 1930s rise of fascism when the actress in question is “indisposed”.
Evie Hargreaves stepped into the role for this return to the New Theatre and delivered the famous lines with what I believe is the same sort of Eastern European accent as Tracy-Ann Oberman does when she is playing the role. The 1936 transposition was also apparently the idea of Oberman, based on her own family’s experiences.
In a pre-curtain up announcement the company said there were other production changes that we would probably not be aware of. I guess that was the case. There was certainly a wealth of fiddling with the Shakespeare text.
Joseph Millson and Gavin Fowler
Anyway, it remains a fast-moving, if rather fast and loose, take on The Merchant of Venice with scenes raced through and some of the beautiful Shakespeare poetry difficult to hear, partly because of a multitude of accents, not only East European, but also the decision of the director to make some of it hollered at one another. One of my favourite love scenes it turns out was Jessica (played by Grainne Dromgoole) and Lorenzo (played by Mikhail Sen) having a row.
The conceit is that we are in London on the eve of the Cable Street riots when Oswald Mosely’s black shirts and East Enders (not the cast of the soap but actual Londoners) clashed. The reworking of the play has a particularly unfortunate Les Mis style man (and woman) the barricades and they shall not pass banners, with Shylock now back to what I guess is an East London accent. As the idea is to warn that antisemitism is alive and Shakespeare’s play was just one manifestation of the historic assaults on the Jews, a brave director would have waved a few Palestinian flags as an even more appropriate epilogue. Perhaps a new version of the plight of the Jews with another ideology trying to wipe them out is waiting to be written by a modern-day Shakespeare.
Directed by Brigid Larmour, it doesn’t really make much sense. Shylock is now a Jewish matriarch out to get the Jew-baiting Antonio (played by Joseph Millson) who also happens to be a leading member of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists, as are all of the Establishment by the finale. The rich folk are a lot of Hooray Henries, including the boorish Gratiano (played by Xavier Starr), and cocktail sipping debs. Antonio is portrayed as a gay man troubled with ennui (think Ian McKellan in Vicious), trying to get a snog from Bassanio (subtlety has gone here), and feckless Bassanio is portrayed by Gavin Fowler as frankly an idiot. Antonio seems to find the cure for his ennui is a chic black fascist uniform.
The subplot of the caskets scene with a ridiculous song from Elly Roberts as Nerissa is also a shockingly bad move and to be frank the whole notion of the worthy suitor could have been scrapped as it makes even less sense in this transposition apart from more ways of telling the audience everyone is shockingly racist.
Twentieth century fascists are a safe target for any stage transposition (opera likes to do it too) and here the acting is slick and polished within a sensible simple functional set that with the use of swishing curtains transforms into Portia’s posh pad and then a court room for the famous plot twist. Portia is played by Georgie Fellows as a sort of Mitford character (some of the upper classes liked the national socialists).
The play is full of racism, as well as antisemitism, and the cast including players of different ethnic backgrounds made this all the more interesting. Some necessary double casting and/or direction reduced at least one of the suitors to an unfortunate stereotype, but he was a baddy so presumably it didn’t matter so much.
However, at the end of the day everyone in this play is pretty rotten which does make that “let’s all stick together” ending ring hollow if not nonsensical. However, a couple of audience members felt the need to raise a fist in the air so it must have made sense to them.
It is well worth the price of a ticket and at a jaunty two hours including interval, with or without its leading lady, this is an enjoyable piece of stagecraft.
It is also an absolute delight to be in Cardiff’s finest theatre.
The play is at the New Theatre until March 22.
Main image Georgie Fellows and Mikhail Sen
Three things for improvement. Evie Hargreaves did well to step in for the leading part however I could hardly make head or tail of her lines with her accent.
The smoke from the stage effects and possibly the candles induced coughing fits in some areas of the audience.
The non appearance of Ms Oberon was a real shame. A better explanation of her absence from the stage director might have been better for the audience.
Not one for me and many of the school children I was sat with were left confused and to be honest very bored.