The Merchant of Venice

When I saw it earlier this year and when I originally wrote this review the production was a modern day version of Shakespeare's play refurbished with jocks, blondes, 5 inch heels, cell phones, Macbooks, flat screens and arcade voices. The stock-market tickers they used were actually more fitting than all of that. The only thing that kept me in my seat was the dialogue. I love reading and hearing the sweet speech of Shakespeare. People knew how to express themselves back then - 'If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches and poor men’s cottages princes' palaces'. Seeing the words and scenes in action was also a bit of a plus but I expected lavish sets replete with Ivory columns and victorian bannisters not wrought iron scaffolding and costumes resplendent in royal reds, lace, jeweled pastel frocks, fringes, emerald greens, gilding, curled leather shoes and gold buckles and hats with feathers. Not S and M looking strappy heels and a Filene's basement recall linen sheath. Oh well, oh well... Nevertheless the acting was humorous and attentive. I'd like to make an argument however, that if the play was so brave as to bring a modern spin on the issue then why not do away also with the stereotypical social casting of black servants? I have an acquaintance who talks about nothing else than how much the issue of race still hangs heavier in Boston than many other US cities and I usually tire of the squawks but I have to say the more I see things like this it makes me ponder the truths in the squawks and psychological roots of the problem that persists (see Shades of White Ray as a non-partisan reference)
I know I've seen the play before but this time as if for the first time I felt torn between reproach and pity for Shylock the evident protagonist played by F. Murray Abraham. The harsh treatment he received was not tempered in any way in this play. It really felt like he was an outcast and even cast aside by his daughter which I thought strangely how for the casting of characters she looked more like the blonde set than her Jewish father. Overall the Emerson filled and staffed theatre and play appealed to the cyber age. People who get excited when they see apples and xboxes. In the end I wished I went to a real play.