NYC Theater Review: Merchant of Venice Starring T.R. Knight of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

If you’ve always thought Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice was missing a bikini-clad, pole-dancing Portia, cast members in Batman masks, and puppets fellating each other, the Arlekin Players Theatre and Jadow Productions version at Classic Stage Company will be tailor-made for you. (The top photo by Pavel Antonov is of Alexandra Silber as Portia and José Espinosa as Bassanio.)

I thought the current Broadway production of Romeo + Juliet, starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler, was outrageous in its attempts to modernize Shakespeare’s text and bring the story to a younger generation. But the Arlekin Players production of Merchant of Venice is outrageous times ten.

Clearly, Jewish Ukrainian director Igor Golyak wants to show the absurdity of the antisemitism in the play and emphasize that it was written as a comedy with commedia dell’arte elements. Granted, he’s successful at this in some respects.

I was completely on board with having Shylock wear Groucho glasses with an exaggerated nose, moustache, and eyebrows, as well as a Dracula cape and vampire teeth (at least part of the time). I was even on board when the audience was instructed to “boo” at Shylock, making him like the villain who ties a damsel to train tracks.

I might have been able to even get on board with some of the other antics if Golyac hadn’t layered so much silliness in a way that seems utterly random. Why fellating puppets? Why does Portia wear a Superman costume when she gives her famous courtroom speech? Why does she run through the stage briefly in a big inflated unicorn costume? Why do characters break into contemporary song?

Why is the entire production set on the soundstage of a small-time internet show, and why does Antonio tell us at the beginning that the sets are broken and most people have quit?

None of this made any sense to me, and it simply made the production a chaotic mess that became more and more tedious as the two hours went on. It also took away from the tragic element of the story.

I did laugh at times, especially when Portia’s suitors were portrayed as terrible potential dates on Tinder. But then, as the courtroom scene finally arrived, the tone of the production completely shifted to seriousness. By then, however, it was too late. The tragedy of the antisemitism that Shylock had constantly endured and the bitterness it had created in him was mostly lost after all the inane stage action. The tragedy of a legal penalty that ripped him of his soul by denying him his religion and forcing him to convert to Christianity also barely registered.

I know Golyak wanted to confront the audience and have an impact on them with what he believes is an inherently antisemitic play, but I don’t think he achieved that ultimate result with this crazy take on it.

That said, the cast performed all of the silliness with aplomb and energy. T.R. Knight, who is best known as George on Grey’s Anatomy, was charming and funny as the modern-day host of the internet show who portrays the antisemitic Antonio. Alexandra Silber did her best with what she was given in this insane version of Portia, and Richard Topol was as stellar as he could be as a silly Shylock who shifted to his humanity in the famous speech that begins, “Hath not a Jew eyes…” José Espinosa was another standout as Bassanio.

If you’re a Shakespeare purist, you’ll want to skip this one, but if you’re interested in innovative adaptations of the Bard, check it out at Classic Stage through December 22, 2024.