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