Theatre Review: The Merchant of Venice 1936

Trigger warning: discussion of antisemitism

An adaptation of Shakespeare’s iconic play and directed by Brigid Larmour, The Merchant of Venice 1936 is set in a 1930s London where antisemitic sentiment, rallied by Oswald Moseley’s British Union of Fascists, runs rife. The play begins with the background screen playing recordings of speeches by Mosely and cut-outs of shocking newspaper headlines to lay out the context of the setting.

This adaptation reimagines the Jewish moneylender, Shylock, as a fierce working-class Jewish matriarch and single mother who lives in the East End region of London. Many of the principal characters; such as Antonio, Portia, and Gratiano are reframed as towering fascist figures. We see Antonio (Joseph Millson), an eminent merchant, spout antisemitism through his harsh remarks and by spitting on Shylock. We follow him as he secures a loan by forging a deal with Shylock to support his close friend Bassanio (Gavin Fowler) in winning over Portia (Georgie Fellows), who is a rich and dazzling socialite in the play.

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While its intentions of highlighting an oft-forgotten part of history are admirable, I thought the messaging in the play was too on-the-nose

Tracy-Ann Oberman, who is also associate director, does justice to the character of Shylock with her strong performance and perfect impression of a small-time moneylender. She is a force to be reckoned with as she delivers a passionate speech encouraging oppressed peoples to work together to overcome persecution, inspired by her great grandmother, a Jewish immigrant who had fled the Russian Empire and sought safety in London.

The rest of the cast did a brilliant job as well, delivering Shakespearean dialogue with excellent intonation and cadence. A stand-out scene to me was when a drunk Gratiano (Xavier Starr) bangs on and defames Shylock’s house, inciting fear in the audience several rows away. I did, however, feel that some of the supporting characters were difficult to distinguish at times, particularly when multiple roles were played by the same actor, which made it hard to follow the play.

The characters don period costumes from the 30s which capture their individual spirits really well. The set and lighting, while not the most complex, were very effective in conveying a sense of scene with regards to atmosphere and location.

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Tracy-Ann Oberman […] does justice to the character of Shylock with her strong performance […] she is a force to be reckoned with

In the second act, Antonio eventually defaults on the loan and Shylock demands “a pound of flesh” from him as repayment. What follows is a dramatic courtroom scene that highlights judicial corruption and has notable speeches from Portia and Shylock. The original play’s contrived ending remains just as searing, seeing Shylock’s forceful conversion to Christianity and her sullen acceptance of it with the line, “I am content.” Meanwhile, the historical context playing in background builds up towards a scene portraying the Battle of Cable Street, which is where the play ends.

While its intentions of highlighting an oft-forgotten part of history are admirable, I thought the messaging in the play was too on-the-nose. The original material and the 1930s setting felt like two separate pieces that would have been more compelling had the setting been explored more and integrated into the story better. In my view, the final scene felt rushed and roughly hewn together with the Battle of Cable Street. We see the so-far fascist characters inexplicably working with Shylock to stand up against the march, leading to confusion and an unclear conclusion.

Overall, I found the Merchant of Venice 1936 to be a well-made production of the Shakespeare play, but have conflicting feelings about the effectiveness of the reimagining. The cast are praise-worthy in their portrayals and the comedic moments serve to lift-up the play.

As a sidenote, this production developed an interactive computer game, which can be accessed at www.merchant1936.co.uk, to provide deeper insight into the play and explain the historical context and intent behind the adaptation. I thought this was a brilliant idea and found the game to be innovative and informative.

The Merchant of Venice 1936 played at the Birmingham Rep from the 1st to the 5th of April 2025, and is currently on tour. Book your tickets here.