The Merchant of Venice

Recently I reviewed Propeller's production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice at the Brooklyn Institute of Music. Re-cast in a prison at an indeterminate historical moment, the production hit all the right notes with the difficult play's uneasy comedy, fostering a terrific ensemble dynamic tinged with dance, singing, fight choreography and a touch of burlesque. Still, there was something lacking in Propeller's handling of the play's weighty dramatic plot – about the Jew Shylock demanding the return on his bond with Antonio, one pound of the Venetian's flesh. The production seemed literally trapped by the prison setting it had created. Read the whole review here.