The Merchant of Venice
7th July – 1st September 2012
Said Business School
Performed in an amphitheatre perched above the dreaming spires. Under balmy skies and starry nights, Creation Theatre’s open-air productions at Saïd Business School are an essential part of any summer’s day in Oxford.
Set against the backdrop of 1930s Italy, director Natalie Abrahami (Regent’s Park, Headlong, Young Vic) places Shakespeare’s most controversial and human comedy in the multicultural port of Venice. Amid the hustle and bustle of the docks, cultures collide, money talks and debt is cheap… until it’s time to pay. This is the original Italian debt crisis!
A down-at-heel nobleman needs cash to fulfil his romantic ambitions.
His merchant friend takes out a loan to aid him in the pursuit of love.
When the loan defaults the abused Jewish moneylender demands gruesome repayment.
Only the actions of a brave and brilliant young woman can bring the situation back from the brink.
Performed by a troupe of nine actors and musicians the production contains live music and songs written especially for the production.
Reviews
“Oliver (Shylock) is frequently electrifying – making music of the verse… Alex Silverman’s lovely songs serenade the play to an almost magical close” Andrew Blades, The Stage
