The Merchant of Venice at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

With only candles to light this adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, it takes on a darker form. Shakespeare’s comedy is still more than present but this feels more like a tragedy.

In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio must borrow money from the Jew, Shylock, in order to fund his friend Bassanio’s attempts to marry Portia. Antonio, confident that the ships bearing his wealth will come in, agrees to an outlandish forfeit should he not pay Shylock back in time. Shylock may take a pound of his flesh.  

It is a story of revenge, or perhaps the folly of revenge. But more so, and especially in this adaptation, it is a story fraught with racial discrimination and religious persecution. Academics debate to this day Shakespeare’s original intentions. Was he being grossly anti-semitic or was he exploring anti-semitism and presenting its ugliness with a sympathetic note? While that argument rages on, we can safely say that this version is in the latter camp, taking the “happy” ending, where the Jew is defeated, and revealing the sorrow and despair within it.  

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, with its simple candle chandeliers instead of expensive electrical lighting rigs, has always had an intimate atmosphere, placing the audience in the story rather than putting on a show before them. It is no different with The Merchant Of Venice. The setting makes the audience both an ally of Shylock and an accomplice to the tragedy to which he is sentenced.

It’s powerful and emotive. It may be a comedy, and the comedy is certainly there in force, but what audiences will take away is not the laughs but the heart-aching fear and unfairness. 

Six years on from Iphigenia in Splott, Sophie Melville, now in the role of Portia, is still flawless. And with Michael Gould (Antonio), Michael Marcus (Bassanio) and Adrian Schiller (Shylock) alongside her, this is a cast that doesn’t get much better.

The Merchant of Venice is a moving commentary on racial and religious discrimination, complete with a powerful cast and a fair bit of humour that makes sure the serious elements don’t feel overwhelming. 

Jim Compton-Hall
Photos: Tristram Kenton

The Merchant of Venice is at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse from 4^th March until 9^th April 2022. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.