February 18, 2012
Brad - A
Chelsea B+
So, the Merchant of Venice, where do I start? Well, unfortunately, we weren't able to get a fancy meal before the show, but luckily, they served wine and popcorn. So far, so good.
The play was in Columbia, Maryland, which is about halfway between DC and Baltimore. As we pulled into the venue, we learned that the show would be in a church, what appeared to be the youth group room to be exact. It was, needless to say, an intimate venue.
So, a 30 second summary of the play: Shylock, a Jewish money-lender, lends Bassanio some dough and Antonio, a wealthy sea merchant, guarantees the loan. However, because Antonio had been a jerk to Shylock in the past, rather than guaranteeing the loan with money, he required Antonio to guarantee the loan with a pound of his flesh. Antonio agreed. But then none of Antonio's ships made it to port. And Antonio couldn't repay his debt. And Shylock was determined to get a pound of Antonio's flesh. The case goes to court, and because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it, Antonio uses some sleek legal moves to save his flesh. Shylock ends up losing everything.
I though the production was good. The staging was tough, but they did a lot with what they had. But for some reason, the Director had the actors run on and off stage. Normally, you may not notice this, but when there is very little room between the actors and the audience, it can be unnerving. You get nervous about tripping the actors or whether the actors may simply run you over. But I like this play a lot, and I liked the production.
At intermission, Chelsea and I ran into a fellow I've worked with in the past and it turns out he is a theatre critic. It turns out theatre critics get free tickets... And I think this little blog should count as a critique of sorts (ignore the fact I give all of the plays an A). Free tickets anyone?
Also, after seeing this play, I am more convinced than ever that whoever wrote Shakespeare had to have legal training. This is Mark Twain's favorite argument against the Stratfordian theory, and I think I agree with him.
This weekend, March 2-4, Chelsea and I are headed to Chapel Hill for a couple of plays. That's right, while Duke and the Tar Heels play, we will be in Chapel Hill watching Henry V.
What has my life become?
Brad-Lock.
Need to update your green highlighting on the sidebar...
ReplyDeleteThe origin of the "pound of flesh" element of the Merchant of Venice plot probably goes back to Roman law. The Roman Twelve Tables (c.449 B.C.) provided that when a debtor failed to repay his debt, the creditor could sell him as a slave across the Tiber. If there was more than one creditor, the debtor could be hacked in pieces proportionate to the amounts owed.
ReplyDeleteIn conjunction with seeing Henry V, be sure to check out my power point explaining the Salic Law at https://sites.google.com/site/thomasregnier/home/henry-the-fifth-and-salic-law. Brad, Duke and UNC are tame compared to the French and English at the Battle of Agincourt.