Facing high expectations, "A Merchant of Venice" seemed bound to fail. Featuring an Oscar-winning actor, the modern interpretation of the classic Shakespearean play opens with an electronic score and a stage illuminated by three Apple laptops. Yet while modern interpretations unfortunately tend to resemble Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996), the focus on Shakespeare's script allows the play to move beyond the clash between old (English, that is) and new. As the first act concludes, the unassuming nuance of F. Murray Abraham combined with the fast-paced, cutthroat world of Wall Street leaves the audience mesmerized by a truly remarkable interpretation of a classic play.
Presented by ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage and directed by Darko Tresnjak, "Merchant" is playing through April 10 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, a stunningly beautiful, fairly small theater.
It tells the story of a loan gone awry, as wealthy merchant Antonio (Tom Nelis) borrows money from the Jewish lender, Shylock (Abraham), to fund his friend Bassanio's (Lucas Hall) proposal to the fair Portia (Kate MacCluggage). Shylock agrees, but tells Antonio that if he reneges on the money, the Jew will carve a pound of flesh from the merchant's body. When Antonio's ships (and all his money) are lost at sea, he is unsure what to do, as Shylock seems intent on getting his revenge.
The program divulges the plot, as suspense is not the motivation of Tresnjak. Recognizing the difficulty of understanding Shakespeare, he chooses instead to focus on Shylock's quiet struggle, which moves past dealing with anti-Semitism into the fundamental humanity of each person. Abraham's moving performance, which elicits sympathy as he begs for mercy, is complemented by his crueler side, which is reminiscent of his Oscar-winning role as Salieri in "Amadeus" (1984).
Even in the moments of silence, he manages to convey an unparalleled depth of emotion through his longing glances toward the audience.
But Abraham does not overshadow his supporting actors. MacCluggage, in particular, delivers a standout performance as Portia, whom she plays with grace, yet ferocity. Her more serious role balances the humorous performances of Jacob Ming-Trent, who plays Shylock's servant Launcelot Goddo. Ming-Trent delivers a stellar soliloquy managing, without altering any of the original lines, to imply that he was on drugs and is fighting a battle with himself.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the show is its comparisons to Wall Street. Tresnjak utilizes the fast-paced world of stock trading to portray the themes of greed and money that permeate the play. All of the men wear suits and type rapidly on their smartphones while delivering their lines.
In fact, the best moment of the show is a normal street conversation between two side characters, in which both actors type furiously on their phones, then look up at the same time and gesture with their hands as if they were on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Accompanied by the background recording of many people talking and other ambient noise, the coordination between the two men and the ease with which they speak is remarkable.
Although these characters, and the rest of the male cast members, interact well with one another, it only makes the lack of chemistry with their female counterparts more obvious. While "Merchant" discusses themes of greed, discrimination and even feminism, it is also a love story. The lack of attraction (or even fake attraction) between the couples was problematic, considering the centrality of love in all of Shakespeare's plays.
Flawed as the chemistry was, though, it did not irreparably mar the play. The subtlety of the overall performance is made especially clear in the ending scene (no spoilers ahead) when the actors neither rejoice nor grieve over what has been done. Instead, they each seem lost in their own worlds, as all of the characters ponder what they have gained and lost over the course of the play.
Tresnjak seems to want the audience to understand that the consequences are not black and white.
In the hands of Murray and his supporting players, "Merchant" takes on new meaning. It becomes relevant beyond the overt anti-Semitism, moving instead toward a picture of human motivation and relationships. The Bard would be pleased.
