Genesian Theatre presents THE MERCHANT OF VENICE by William
Shakespeare at the Genesian Theatre, 420 Kent St, Sydney.
In the 'dark' week of production at Belvoir, as the
Downstairs Theatre is not utilised for outside productions, and so nothing was
on in their spaces, and the Sydney Theatre Company had not any 'mainstream'
performances in any of their usual venues for three weeks, (the major
subsidised company in Sydney not showing work for three weeks - how can that
BE?), and as I had seen the Darlinghurst and Griffin shows, when looking at the
guide of What's On in the newspaper I came across THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. I had
heard that the young director Constantine Costi had recently given a play by
Moliere a decent burl - hard to do, I reckon - I thought I would go and look
see and catch this work - it meant that I wouldn't have to read the play this
year, I could see it. Besides, other than in drama schools, I have never seen
this play staged.
"THE MERCHANT OF VENICE is a troubling play. At the
end, you may not know whether you've seen a tragedy or a comedy, a love story
or a tale of hate. In its infinite ambiguity, it is quintessential Shakespeare.
No sooner have you reached one conclusion about the play than it's immediately
contradicted in the next scene -or line." [1]
Bassanio (Stephen Lloyd Coombs) borrows three thousand
ducats from Shylock (Geoff Sirmai), a Hebrew usurer, and offers Antonio (Andrew
Fraser), a Christian merchant as bond. Antonio agrees that if he can't meet the
payment, Shylock is entitled to cut a pound of flesh from his side. Later, when
Antonio can't pay him back, Shylock demands his due. By the letter of the law,
however, if Shylock is to have his pound of flesh he must not have one drop of
blood or he will forfeit all. Not possible. Antonio is not cut and Shylock is
further punished by the authorities of the Duke of Venice, by the seizing of
all his property and seeking his execution unless he converts to Christianity,
this seen, in Elizabethan times, as an act of mercy to the otherwise damned
Jew, Shylock.
The Jew in Elizabethan times, is the abhorred 'other', the
villain (as is the Moor in Othello) and was played with all the exaggerations
of a stage-devil's hallmarks of make-up and costume. The Christians seen as the
models of lives well lived. Since the Holocaust Shylock has been more often
portrayed as "more sinned against than sinned" and the Christian
merchants and their society as spoiled, venal and callow. The play is not
pro-Jewish, as some would have it, but it's not pro-Christian either. It will
all depend on how the director chooses to look at it.
Chronologically, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE is written after,
LOVE LABOUR'S LOST, ROMEO AND JULIET and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. And
although ROMEO AND JULIET is a tragedy it is a romantic one. For what is
interesting, given the above breakdown of the more famous part of THE MERCHANT
OF VENICE, is that it is in the reality of the experience of the play simply a
sub-plot to the romantic comedy of the lovers plots: that of Arragon, Morocco, Bassanio
and Portia and Lorenzo and Jessica that dominates the principal action.
Although the part that Jessica, Shylock's daughter, plays in that romantic
comedy connects to the tragedy of her father terribly.
Certainly in this production by Mr Costi it is the
"glitzy technicoloured and delirious city" of a 1960's Venice that we
are thrown into. Hawaiian shirts and trendy fashions of that period are
deliciously created (Costume Designer, Alice Joel) set in a striped back, naked
stage of the theatre with some busy light bulb signage spelling out the city's
name in a soft focused and warm coloured lighting design (Michael Schell)
accompanied by jazzy music and compositions (not credited) and updating of some
of the action of the material (the choice of the marriage boxes as a game
show). It is a colour version, perhaps of the Fellini LA DOLCE VITA Italy, or, considering
the FRUG choreography of this company's parties, a little bit the Italian nightclub
from SWEET CHARITY (it, being a parody of the Fellini, if you remember).
The world of this production is at the business end of town,
merchants of commerce, whilst gambling on the commodity market, gambolling in
the good life of youthful, carefree hedonism, full tilt. The Christian leaders
caught up in their romantic pursuits become, in the need to sustain the wealth
to live their life style (especially the venal Bassanio who uses both the
wealth of his best friend Antonio (unto his pound of flesh) to acquire the
wealth [love] of the heiress, Portia) becoming progressively uglier in the
actions that they pursue against Shylock. As Shylock is stripped of his dues,
at the loss of his daughter, he becomes more strident, more "
fundamentalist" in his arguments for revenge, as do the Christians become
ruthless "fundamentalists' in their treatment of the Jew. Both using
religion as a tool, a disguise for money pursuit. "Is the genteel Gentile
any different from that shyster Shylock? The Christian likes money as much as
the Jew; he just doesn't care to earn it, preferring instead to borrow or marry
it."
The company of actors are comely, enthusiastic and
thankfully, uniformly intelligent. Easy to watch and listen too (bar the
occasional shouting). Mr Costi has inspired and guided these young performers
into a cogent and clear delivery of the Shakespearean text. True, if I wanted
to be tougher, the company, including, some of the clunky staging in the larger
group scenes by the director, make errors of judgement but they are 'juvenile '
mistakes. There are clear signs of a clever director's eye for detail and
shaping of tempo in the production brio.
Geoff Sirmai as Shylock gives a focused and organised
reading and is a worthy balance to the others, his adversaries. Stephen Lloyd
Coombs, Ray Mainsbridge, Brendan Cain(Lorenzo) and Harriet Gordon Anderson
(Jessica) do well. Andrew Fraser in the notoriously difficult role of the
Merchant of Venice (Antonio) is playing at something but does not quite make
his idea or purpose clear- it falls between a self indulgence and an original
take on the part. The vocal hesitations and textual breakup is cumulatively
tedious and ultimately frustrating.
This was a pleasure to attend and was an engaging
interaction with the text. This theatre was full. I had to wait to see if a
ticket was available. I understand the whole season has been a blockbuster.
This was not a school audience either, rather, a good cross section of ages.
Mr Costi may be someone to keep an eye on. Perhaps it runs
in the family for on the night I saw it, his brother, the Assistant Director,
Michael Costi, at short notice, covered for an indisposed member of the cast and
gave a very lively, charming and clear performance. In fact charm, intelligence
and joy are what this cast exuded for us.
Shakespeare well served.
References
- The Friendly Shakespeare by Norrie Epstein - Penguin Books 1993.
- The Meaning of Shakespeare by Harold C. Goddard - The University of Chicago 1951.
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