James Wilson takes a look at The Merchant of Venice from Arlekin Players Theatre:
Earlier this fall, Classic Stage Company presented Tadeusz Slobodzianek's Our Class, a devastating depiction of a Polish community riven by antisemitism. The boldly theatrical production, directed by Igor Golyak and featuring a stellar ensemble, was exhilarating. When it was announced that Golyak and many of the same actors would reimagine Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice as a companion piece to Our Class, my anticipation was sky high. Unfortunately, the new version produced by Arlekin Players Theatre and the Mart Foundation, and which is subtitled "a comedy, performed nightly for a live audience," runs roughshod over Shakespeare and is an exhausting experience. With its unremitting whimsy, the quality of mercy is strained nearly to the breaking point. |
