THEATER REVIEW: “The Merchant of Venice”

It has been a big year for Rochester Community Players’ Shakespeare Players
shingle. Large crowds turned out this summer for the annual Shakespeare in the
Park production in Highland Bowl (this year it was a very solid production of
“Othello”). The Players launched the Rochester Shakespeare Literary
Society, a monthly discussion group meant to prepare audiences for upcoming
Shakespeare productions in Rochester and Western New York. And the group is
currently in the midst of an expanded theater season (with shows in fall,
spring, and summer) with its current production of “The Merchant of
Venice” at MuCCC.

“Merchant” is a wonderful show featuring talented actors, engaging
direction, and an alternately charming and controversial story, and I regret
that I didn’t get a chance to review the play earlier in its run.

“Merchant” follows young Bassanio, a Venetian who has blown his
family’s estate, as he seeks to woo and then wed the beautiful (and loaded)
heiress Portia. To subsidize his journey, Bassanio reaches out to his longtime
friend Antonio, a merchant who has bailed him out multiple times before. But
Antonio’s assets are presently wrapped up in multiple trade deals all out to
sea, so he tells Bassanio that he’ll act as his guarantor if Bassanio can find
a lender. That ends up being Shylock, who is infamous for his aggressive
lending terms, and is persecuted by most of Christian Venice due to his Jewish
faith. Antonio and Shylock dislike each other intensely, but go into business
on Bassanio’s behalf, with the terms being that if the loan is not repaid by a
certain date, Antonio owes Shylock a pound of his flesh.

Although the Elizabethan language remains unchanged in the
MuCCC production, director John R. Jaeger has given the play a modern feel,
from the slick contemporary fashions to its classical incidental music mixed
with hip-hop beats. Attempts at modernizing Shakespeare can go very wrong very
fast, but everything worked with this show – none of it felt desperate or
patronizing. The mostly cosmetic changes worked with the enthusiastic, mostly
young cast to make for a fresh-feeling production.

Even with the glossy coat, Jaeger does not shy away from any of the play’s
themes, including its more difficult ones. “Merchant” is known for
its controversial treatment of Jewish characters, specifically Shylock, who is
repeatedly referred to as less-than-human or soulless by the Christian
characters. The dramatic courtroom scene, which includes several classic
speeches concerning equality, humanity, and mercy, is riveting, and at times
uncomfortable, as the enraged characters in the gallery practically spit the
word “Jew.” This production doesn’t even attempt to mitigate that
level of bigotry, although its depiction of Shylock is undeniably sympathetic
for most of the show. I left struck by how a play written more than 400 years
ago can still capture such complicated human emotions.

Not that it’s all about hate speech and revenge. The heavier topics in
“Merchant” are balanced by some wonderful comic moments. The scenes
with Portia and her suitors are hilarious, with hammy caricatures by familiar
faces. Even some of the mistaken-identity bits, largely implausible to modern
audiences, elicit some chuckles thanks to deft execution. But it’s the little
details that prove how well-directed and well-rehearsed this show is. Brief
pantomime bits during set changes and some silent reactions by supporting
characters demonstrate that the cast and crew were actively thinking about how
to make the most of every second on the stage.

While most of the dozen-plus cast members are terrific in
general, there are some standouts. Ray Salah flawlessly executes the
challenging role of Shylock. Every moment of his performance felt true, from
his snide, under-the-breath comments to Antonio in the first act, to his
despondency over learning of his great loss, to his resolute demands for
justice. Judy Molner is a delight as Portia, making the sometimes cumbersome
Elizabethan dialogue sound effortless, while bringing serious gravity to her
more dramatic scenes in Act II. James Heath shares excellent chemistry with
Molner, while his scenes with Ken Dauer (Antonio) hint at an interesting
subtext of their own. Brad Craddock is exuberant as the quasi-fool Gratiano,
while Kate Sherman slyly snatches attention in her role as the maid Nerissa.
Lastly, credit to set designer Mark Casey, who has created the largest and most
ambitious set I’ve ever seen on the typically sparse MuCCC stage.

“The Merchant of Venice”

Through November 19

By Rochester Community Players

MuCCC, 142 Atlantic Ave.

$5-$15 | rochestercommunityplayers.org

This article appears in Nov 15-15, 2011.