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Reviewed by:
  • The Merchant of Venice
  • Katherine West Scheil
The Merchant of Venice Presented by the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota. March 10-May 6, 2007. Directed by Joe Dowling. Set by Riccardo Hernández. Costumes by Paul Tazewell. Lighting by Matthew Reinert. Sound by Scott W. Edwards. Original music by Keith Thomas. With Robert Dorfman (Shylock), Michelle O'Neill (Portia), Ron Menzel (Bassanio), Richard S. Iglewski (Antonio), Lee Mark Nelson (Gratiano), Sally Wingert (Nerissa), Jim Lichtscheidl (Lancelot Gobbo), Mark Rosenwinkel (Old Gobbo), Christine Weber (Jessica), Matthew Amendt (Lorenzo), William Sturdivant (Prince of Morocco), Stephen Pelinski (Prince of Arragon), and others.

For the inaugural season of the new Guthrie Theater on the banks of the Mississippi River, director Joe Dowling chose The Merchant of Venice as the first production of Shakespeare to christen the thrust stage. Shakespeare is no stranger to the Guthrie Theater; since its incarnation in 1963, the Guthrie has performed 45 different productions of 24 Shakespeare plays. The Merchant of Venice of course comes with a number of challenges, primarily in connection with the issues of anti-Semitism and the effect the play should have on the audience. In director Joe Dowling's program notes, he remarks that "we should welcome the opportunity to examine the roots of bigotry and hatred, acknowledge the levels of discrimination that still exist within our own society and allow Shakespeare's great plea for tolerance to resonate within our hearts and minds as we listen to Shylock's words." After quoting the "Hath not a Jew eyes" speech, Dowling concludes with the decree, "Enjoy the show!" The overall goal of this production seemed to be pleasure and enjoyment rather than a serious exploration of the "roots of bigotry and hatred."

Setting the play in the mid-eighteenth century, through the use of costumes, original light-hearted "Mozartian" music composed by Keith Thomas, and ornate sets, Dowling enlisted familiar period conventions in order to engineer a comic response to this often troubling play. Riccardo Hernández used mainly colors of gold and red for the set, with a panorama of the Venice skyline projected at the top to complement the copper floors and walls. Three pillars of gold, silver, and lead underlined the play's themes of money, worth, and appearance—particularly as they are crystallized in the casket scene. Six elegant chandeliers stressed the civilized and sophisticated atmosphere of Belmont.

Portia, insightfully played by Michelle O'Neill, first appeared in a teal silk gown with large hoops, giving her a commanding visual stage [End Page 116] presence. Except for Shylock, the rest of the cast was similarly clothed in bright silks and satins. Shylock lacked an elegant period costume, appearing in dark colors and a yarmulke instead of a feathered hat and fine fashionable garb. His long dark fur-trimmed coat seemed ponderous and out of style, and further underscored actor Robert Dorfman's small physique. The effect of the ornate costumes of the Venetians was perhaps most clearly seen in the trial scene, where Antonio appeared in a grubby undershirt and undergarments, stripped of his velvet coat and breeches, in striking contrast to his elegant appearance in the rest of the play. This was a clever way to suggest that underneath the beauty and decoration in this production exists an ugly reality.

The transition from the trial scene to Belmont was the most obvious use of the eighteenth-century setting. Perhaps inspired by Lorenzo's lines about the "sweet power of music," the return of light-hearted Mozartian music signaled that the unpleasantness of the trial scene was over, and audience members could now relax and enjoy the comedy. Similarly, after the trial scene, the return of Antonio to full period costume indicated the play's return to the world of a Mozart comic opera.

Minor comic characters in this production helped boost the light-hearted tone that Dowling sought to establish. Perhaps inspired by Etherege's Sir Fopling Flutter from The Man of Mode and other similar period characters, Stephen Pelinski's Prince of Aragon was the perfect eighteenth-century fop, with an exaggerated cape that he whipped around for stylish effect, and red heels with large blue bows. The...

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