The Merchant in Venice: Shakespeare in the Ghetto
edited by
abstract
This book records the landmark performance of The Merchant of Venice in the Venetian Ghetto in 2016, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and the 500th anniversary of the Jewish quarter that gave the world the word ‘ghetto’. Practitioners and critics discuss how this multi-ethnic production and its radical choice to cast five actors as Shylock provided the opportunity to respond creatively to Europe’s legacy of antisemitism, racism and difference. They observe how the place and play stand as ambivalent documents of civilization: instruments of intolerance but also sites of cultural exchange.
Actors on Shakespeare • Aldo Finzi • Jews • Site-specific performance • Translation • Antisemitism • Site specific performance • Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco • Children’s literature • Ciro Pinsuti • Ghetto • Aestheticism • Shakespeare’s comedies of love • Compagnia de’ Colombari • Mock Trial: Shylock v • Site-specific design • Directing Shakespeare • The quality of mercy • Foerster • F • Shylock • Site-specific Shakespeare • Lighting design • Bassanio • History • Jessica • Narrativization • Performing Shakespeare • Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Adrian Beecham • Memory • Lewis Carroll • Theatre design • Venice • Music • Otto Taubmann • Rehearsal • Gratiano • Lorenzo • Mock Appeal: Shylock v • Costume design • Chromaticism • Shakespeare’s trial scenes • The Merchant of Venice in the Ghetto • Josef B • Fiction • Murray Abraham • George Braque and Shakespeare • Adapting Shakespeare • Reynaldo Hahn • Antonio • Portia • Holocaust • Karin Coonrod • Charles and Mary Lamb • Children reading Shakespeare • Music design • Designing Shakespeare • Lancelot Gobbo • Heritage • Opera • The Merchant in the Ghetto • Humanities • Laurence Olivier • The Merchant of Venice • Mercy • Adaptation