The Merchant of Venice review – poisonous prejudice erupts with shocking speed in a show with tech-bro touches
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
John Douglas Thompson is a commanding Shylock in a vision of an apparently benign city where tolerance buckles all too quickly
He likes a bit of a laugh, this Shylock. Played with cool authority by John Douglas Thompson in a suit that blends with the grey concrete of Riccardo Hernandez’s brutalist set, he is even-tempered and jovial. Whether he is a “villain with a smiling cheek”, as Antonio characterises him, is a moot point. His darker side lies just below the genial surface, not so much a character flaw as the product of an oppressive culture.
Take Antonio. Played by Alfredo Narciso, he comes across as sensitive, generous, maybe even soulful; the kind of good guy who would stump up 3,000 ducats for a friend even when his wealth is all at sea. His look – suit and T-shirt, white sneakers, no socks – has the air of tech-bro affluence.
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