By Marilyn Lester***There’s a reason why William Shakespeare‘s plays, written over 400 years ago, have been performed without letup to appreciative audiences. Each is a work of genius, with dialog that’s given us a plethora of nifty 
phrases that have become part of the English lexicon. But also over time these works have been pushed and pulled and twisted and bent in many directions by auteurs determined to stamp them with their own greatness. Sometimes the re-imagining is successful and sometimes it very much is not.
This iteration of The Merchant of Venice, re-conceived by Igor Golyak, qualifies as an old college try. Golyak is a Jewish director born in Ukraine who’s developed this version of the play in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas on the State of Israel and further troubling incidents of antisemitism. The adaptation, performed at Classic Stage Company is presented by ARLEKIN & MART Foundation in association with Jadow Productions.
Set as a late-night talk show, the production has the stamp of Golyak’s Eastern European sensibilities in theater-making. Specifically, there’s a foot firmly planted in absurdism, reminiscent of Romanian-French playwright, Eugène Ionesco’s avant garde works. But as Adam Gopnik wrote in a 2016 article in The New Yorker 
about rewriting Shakespeare: “Saluting Shakespeare with new versions of his stories is a bit like saluting Mozart by commissioning Philip Glass to write a new opera to the plot of “Così Fan Tutte, with its disguised Albanians and absurd coincidences.”
Complex of plot, the core story involves the merchant (T.R. Knight) who seeks to borrow money for his friend Bassanio (José Espinosa), who is courting the wealthy Portia (Alexandra Silber). Shylock (Richard Topol) agrees to the loan but his terms include that he get to 
cut off a pound of flesh if Antonio defaults, which he does. In court, Portia, disguised as a man, defending Antonio, reasons that Shylock is entitled to his pound of flesh, but not Antonio’s blood, which would result in his death while claiming what’s due him. Defeated, Shylock can only save himself from a counter-conviction by converting to Christianity. His daughter, Jessica (Gus Birney) has already run away with a Christian, repudiating her Jewishness. As The Merchant of Venice draws to its conclusion, Shylock abruptly disappears from the play, never to be seen again.
Minor characters in The Merchant of Venice abound, including a wordless, ubiquitous “stage manager” clown, Launcelot Gobbo, played with comic-relief perfection by Stephen Ochsner. Playing superheroes and other characters are a game ensemble of Tess Goldwyn, Delilah Napier, Noah Pacht and Elan Zafir. In the realm of the mystifying, there’s an unexplained Christmas tree on set, plus hand puppets representing two Venetian noblemen, Salerio and Solanio and much coming and going of characters that contributes to chaos.
Rising to the top was the transcendent Silber, whose execution of Portia’s courtroom monologue was as excellent as you’ll find on any legit Shakespearean stage. Knight was convincing as a beleaguered Antonio, the 
show host, forced to cope with the ninnies surrounding him. Topol, costumed in a Dracula-style cape and Groucho Marx mustache-nose glasses, missed the mark; he’s cast as the star of this production, yet his flat Shylock lacked verve and passion. He’s also hobbled by Golyak’s misguided attempt at modernizing the play. Even those who know The Merchant of Venice well are bound to be confused by the extra dialog, musical insertions and untamed machinations of this version.
The Merchant of Venice, published in 1596, is of its time. Scholars still debate its paradox—of the stereotype of the moneylender Shylock as a greedy, repulsive character, yet advocating his humanity as in the iconic monologue wherein Shylock implores “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands… If you prick us, do we not bleed?” It would appear that Shakespeare himself was conflicted. And what of Golyak? Despite his intent, his Merchant fails to make his case against antisemitism. His Shylock remains largely despicable.
Credits are Jan Pappelbaum, scenic design; Sasha Ageeva, Seth Reiser, lighting design and Igor Golyak, projections. Fedor Zhuravlev, composer, also provided sound design and performed live music with drumming and guitar.
The Merchant of Venice runs two hours without an intermission. (Note: this review is based on a 2-hour, 50-minute presentation.) The play runs through Sunday, December 22. For more information and tickets, click here.
Classic Stage Company, Lynn F. Angelson Theater, is located at
136 East 13th Street, NYC
Photos by Pavel Antonov
