Although William Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice in the late 1500s, experts still debate whether the play, about a merchant named Antonio who defaults on a loan he takes out on behalf of his friend Bassanio through Jewish moneylender Shylock, is replete with antisemitic tropes or simply explores the very concept of antisemitism through its characters.
Alas, although we will never get to ask the playwright himself about his intentions, New Yorkers will have a chance to formulate their own opinions about the topic when catching a new stage adaptation of the play set to debut at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater at 136 East 13th Street by Third Avenue in the East Village starting November 22.
Adapted and directed by Igor Golyak—also behind Off-Broadway hit Our Class—this version of The Merchant of Venice brings the story to contemporary times, with the stage set up as a nightclub “akin to a late-night comedy show,” reads an official release.
“Superheroes and their archenemies battle it out to protect good in the face of evil,” continues the statement. “Will love, justice and order prevail? Who defines love, justice and order? The audience and cast wrestle with these questions and their dead-serious consequences.”
The production stars Richard Topol (also from Our Class) as Shylock and T.R. Knight of Grey’s Anatomy fame as Antonio.
“Getting to work with Igor and the troupe behind his production of Our Class, a production that is heartbreakingly inventive and rearranged my molecules, is thrilling, and I’m grateful and honored to be a part of Igor’s production of The Merchant of Venice,” Knight, arguably the most commercially recognizable cast member, said in an official statement.
The production will officially open on November 25 and run through December 22. Tickets are available for purchase right here.
