One of Shakespeare’s most problematic characters, Shylock the Jewish moneylender has undergone polarised interpretations since The Merchant of Venice was first performed. This has ranged from miserly and cruel to demonic and inhumane when the Nazis hijacked the protagonist to further fuel antisemitism and xenophobia. Ostracised from society and forced to renounce all that he holds dear, in more recent years Shylock tends to be played as a tragic figure and one who deserves our pity.
It’s refreshing to consider Shakespeare's character anew in the East End of London, 1936
In this daring reimagining of the text, it is Tracy-Ann Oberman who plays a female Shylock. She enters the stalls before the play begins, lighting Shabbat candles and welcoming the audience before taking to the stage to recite Passover prayers. At once, any preconceptions we may carry of encountering a bitter, male merchant are subverted. It’s refreshing to consider Shakespeare's character anew in the East End of London, 1936. Inspired by her Jewish grandmother who fled persecution in Belarus and resettled in Britain, Oberman does an exceptional job of portraying Shylock as tough and matriarchal, someone who lives under the shadow of fear and yet remains resolute in her convictions.
Huge credit must go to Liz Cooke’s use of costume (dapper suits, silk dresses) and set design which viscerally transport us back to the period. We are reminded that fascism was an active and tangible threat in Britain under Oswald Mosley and his party: the British Union of Fascists. Some of the play’s most affecting moments are when footage of fascist marches through the streets of the East End are super-imposed behind the action. These scenes encourage us to re-think the national myth that Britain was unequivocally against far-right ideology at this time.
In this production, artfully directed by Brigid Larmour, Antonio (Joseph Millson) is a member of Mosley’s Blackshirts. His unrequited love for Bassanio (Gavin Fowler) is matched by an untethered hatred of Shylock and the Jewish community. Millson is a domineering presence who brings menace to the role, only softening when he reflects on his feelings for Bassanio. Bullish and entitled, Fowler plays Bassanio as a character whose affection for Portio (Georgie Fellows) is secondary motivation to the dowry he is set to receive should he choose the correct casket and be able to marry her. As the script is significantly cut, the character of Jessica (Shylock’s daughter, played by Grainne Dromgoole) and her decision to betray her father to elope with Lorenzo (Mikhail Sen) risks coming across as underdeveloped thus making it difficult to invest in this particular storyline and connect with the shattering impact it has on our protagonist.
The ending of the play takes us to The Battle of Cable Street, when communities in the East End came out fearlessly in their droves to take a stand against the fascists, declaring “They Shall Not Pass.” Here, Oberman boldly breaks character and urges the audience to rise up, as her grandmother did, against antisemitic prejudice. I did feel this moment was a little contrived as the message had already been effectively delivered throughout. That aside, the play’s setting in 1930s Britain is a stark reminder that extreme ideology can be found much closer to home than perhaps our nation cares to admit and must be met with resistance.
