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.
Lancelot Gobbo • Heritage • Directing Shakespeare • Ciro Pinsuti • Costume design • Gratiano • Translation • Humanities • Lighting design • Portia • Ghetto • Jessica • Children’s literature • Lorenzo • Mock Trial: Shylock v • Chromaticism • Actors on Shakespeare • Laurence Olivier • Music design • Shylock • The Merchant in the Ghetto • Adapting Shakespeare • The Merchant of Venice • Shakespeare’s comedies of love • Aestheticism • History • Murray Abraham • Performing Shakespeare • Adrian Beecham • Theatre design • Site-specific design • Music • F • The Merchant of Venice in the Ghetto • Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco • Otto Taubmann • Site-specific performance • Holocaust • Rehearsal • Site-specific Shakespeare • Charles and Mary Lamb • Ruth Bader Ginsburg • George Braque and Shakespeare • Adaptation • Antisemitism • Foerster • Children reading Shakespeare • Memory • Site specific performance • Reynaldo Hahn • Narrativization • Antonio • Josef B • Opera • Compagnia de’ Colombari • Mercy • Venice • Designing Shakespeare • Karin Coonrod • Aldo Finzi • Jews • The quality of mercy • Mock Appeal: Shylock v • Lewis Carroll • Fiction • Bassanio • Shakespeare’s trial scenes