The Merchant (play)

Last updated

Shylock - a Study by Joseph Keiley Joseph T. Keiley Shylock - a Study.jpg
Shylock - a Study by Joseph Keiley

The Merchant is a 1976 play in two acts [1] by the English dramatist Arnold Wesker. It is based on William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice , and focuses on the Jewish Shylock character, that play's principal antagonist. [2] [3]

Wesker began writing the play after seeing a 1973 performance by Laurence Olivier. [2] It premiered in Stockholm in 1976 and was later renamed Shylock. [3]

A Broadway production was planned for fall 1977, with Zero Mostel in the lead, following a pre-Broadway tryout at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. John Dexter served as director. The production played one preview on Friday, September 2, 1977, after which Mostel fell ill and was taken to the hospital. Performances were canceled until he could return, [4] however Mostel died on September 8 from cardiac arrest. [5]

The remainder of the Philadelphia engagement of The Merchant was canceled. The production played the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre, with Mostel's understudy, Joseph Leon, in the leading role of Shylock Kolner. Previews began on September 28, the play opened on September 30 and closed November 5.

The Merchant moved to Broadway, beginning previews on November 9 and opening on November 16 at the Plymouth Theatre. The play did not receive favorable reviews and closed on November 19, following eight previews and five performances. [6] The production lost an estimated $650,000. [7]

In addition to Leon, the Broadway company featured John Clements as Antonio Querini, Roberta Maxwell as Portia Contarini, Marian Seldes as Rivka Kolner, Julie Garfield as Jessica Kolner, Gloria Gifford as Nerissa, Everett McGill as Lorenzo Pisani, Nicolas Surovy as Bassanio Visconti, Riggs O'Hara as Graziano Sanudo, and John Seitz as Tubal di Ponti. [8]

Wesker wrote a book about the challenge of mounting play in 1999, The Birth of Shylock and the Death of Zero Mostel. [9] [2] The book mostly pulls from the diary Wesker kept at the time.

In this play, Shylock is a good man and the good friend of Antonio, the title character in Shakespeare's play. [10] They bond in their love of knowledge and mutual dislike of the antisemitism in their community. [11] [12] Shylock's demand for a pound of flesh is meant as a jest, but he can not retract it. Both Shylock and Antonio are relieved when the demand is denied in court. [1] [10]

Reviewing The Merchant, critic Michael Billington wrote "Wesker’s point comes across clearly: that anti-Jewish prejudice is ingrained in English life." [3] John Gross, another critic, stated that "As a humanistic sermon, The Merchant has much to recommend it. As a play, it lacks bite". [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Merchant of Venice</i> Play by Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock, with seemingly inevitable fatal consequences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denholm Elliott</span> English actor (1922–1992)

Denholm Mitchell Elliott was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving BAFTA awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Trading Places (1983), A Private Function (1984) and Defence of the Realm (1986), and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mr. Emerson in A Room with a View (1985). He is also known for his performances in Alfie (1966), A Doll's House (1973), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Maurice (1987), September (1987), and Noises Off (1992). He portrayed Marcus Brody in the Steven Spielberg and George Lucas films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Wesker</span> British dramatist

Sir Arnold Wesker was an English dramatist. He was the author of 50 plays, four volumes of short stories, two volumes of essays, much journalism and a book on the subject, a children's book, some poetry, and other assorted writings. His plays have been translated into 20 languages, and performed worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zero Mostel</span> American actor

Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus on stage and on screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in the original film version of Mel Brooks' The Producers (1967). Mostel was a student of Don Richardson, and he used an acting technique based on muscle memory. He was blacklisted during the 1950s; his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee was well publicised. Mostel later starred in the Hollywood Blacklist drama film The Front (1976) alongside Woody Allen, for which Mostel was nominated for the British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Henry Goodman is a RADA trained British actor. He has appeared on television and radio, in film and in the theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Loeb</span> American actor

Philip Loeb, was an American stage, film, and television actor, director and author, perhaps best remembered for playing Jake Goldberg in The Goldbergs. He was blacklisted under McCarthyism and committed suicide in response.

<i>The Merchant of Venice</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Michael Radford

The Merchant of Venice is a 2004 romantic drama film based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It is the first full-length sound film in English of Shakespeare's play—other versions are videotaped productions which were made for television, including John Sichel's 1973 version and Jack Gold's 1980 BBC production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Borle</span> American actor (born 1973)

Christian Dominique Borle is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher and as William Shakespeare in Something Rotten! Borle also originated the roles of Prince Herbert, et al. in Spamalot, Emmett in Legally Blonde, and Joe in Some Like It Hot on Broadway. He starred as Marvin in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos. He also starred as Tom Levitt on the NBC musical-drama television series Smash and Vox in the adult animated black comedy musical series Hazbin Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minskoff Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the One Astor Plaza office building in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1973, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization and is named after Sam Minskoff and Sons, the building's developers. There are approximately 1,710 seats in the auditorium, spread across an orchestra level and a balcony. Over the years it has hosted musicals, dance companies, and concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Mostel</span> American actor

Joshua Mostel is an American actor with numerous film and Broadway credits. The son of Zero Mostel, he is best known for his supporting roles in films such as Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Harry and Tonto (1974), Sophie's Choice (1982), City Slickers (1991), Billy Madison (1995), and Big Daddy (1999).

The Roundabout Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.

William "Bill" Gaskill was a British theatre director who was "instrumental in creating a new sense of realism in the theatre". Described as "a champion of new writing", he was also noted for his productions of Bertolt Brecht and Restoration comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Brochu</span> American actor, writer, director, and playwright

Jim Brochu is an American actor, writer, director, and playwright. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Brochu studied at Carnegie-Mellon University and received his B.A. from St. Francis College. His stage debut was in a production of William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. As a friend of Lucille Ball, he is the author of the unauthorized biography of Lucille Ball, titled Lucy in the Afternoon, and in this capacity, appeared on an episode of MythBusters.

Julia Adler, also known as Julia Adler Foshko was an American actress, the last surviving child of Jacob Pavlovich Adler.

William Alexander Paterson known professionally as Bill Alexander is a British theatre director who is best known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and as artistic director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He currently works as a freelance, internationally as a theatre director and most recently as a director of BBC Radio 4 drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basil Henson</span> English actor

Basil Henson was an English actor. He appeared on film, television, and the stage, where he was particularly known for his work at the National Theatre.

Shylock is a monologue in one 80-minute act written by Canadian playwright Mark Leiren-Young. It premiered at Bard on the Beach on August 5, 1996, where it was directed by John Juliani and starred popular Canadian radio host, David Berner. Its American debut was in 1998 at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre where it was directed by Deborah Block, starred William Leach and was “Barrymore Recommended.” It has since been produced at theatres, Shakespeare Festivals and Fringes throughout Canada and the US, was translated for a production in Denmark and has been staged twice by the original actor, Berner, in Venice. A Czech translation by Jitka Sloupova ran in Prague from 2016-2019 at Divadlo Na Jezerce and starred Milan Kňažko.

<i>Something Rotten!</i> Musical that premiered on Broadway in 2015

Something Rotten! is a musical comedy with a book by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick and music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Set in 1595, the story follows the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, who struggle to find success in the theatrical world as they compete with the wild popularity of their contemporary William Shakespeare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shylock</span> Character in Shakespeares "The Merchant of Venice"

Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and conversion to Christianity form the climax of the story.

<i>Shylock</i> (1940 film) 1941 film directed by Kinema Ramu and Serukalathur Sama

Shylock is a 1940 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Kinema Ramu and Serukalathur Sama and produced by Bharat Pictures. It is based on William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, and features Sama as the title character. The film was released on 23 November 1940 and failed commercially. No print of it is known to survive, making it a lost film.

References

  1. 1 2 Cerasano, S. P. (16 September 2018). A Routledge Literary Sourcebook on William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Psychology Press. p. 204. ISBN   978-0-415-24052-9 . Retrieved 16 September 2018– via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 3 Chan, Sewell (13 April 2016). "Arnold Wesker, 83, Writer of Working-Class Dramas, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Pascal, Julia (12 April 2016). "Sir Arnold Wesker obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "Sep 04, 1977, page 23 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  5. ↑ McFadden, Robert D. (9 September 1977). "Zero Mostel Is Dead at 62". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Merchant – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Nov 20, 1977, page 187 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "The Merchant – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Arnold Wesker, Major British Playwright of "Angry Young Men" Era, Dies at 83 - Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  10. 1 2 Shakespeare, William (30 April 2015). The Merchant of Venice. Penguin UK. ISBN   9780241187975 . Retrieved 16 September 2018– via Google Books.
  11. ↑ Billington, Michael (13 April 2016). "Arnold Wesker: the radical bard of working Britain". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  12. ↑ Dornan, Reade W. (1 May 2014). Arnold Wesker: A Casebook. Routledge. pp. 101, 64. ISBN   978-1-135-54145-3 . Retrieved 16 September 2018– via Google Books.
  13. ↑ Gross, John (4 January 1994). Shylock: A Legend and Its Legacy. Simon and Schuster. p. 335. ISBN   978-0-671-88386-7 . Retrieved 20 September 2018– via Google Books.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.