The Merchant of Venice 1936: Review

It feels like a welcome home coming for Tracy-Ann Oberman’s Shylock as The Merchant of Venice 1936 returns to Greater Manchester.

The Watford Palace Theatre & Home Manchester production was first seen at Home almost two years ago. Since then, the show has toured the UK tour, before runs in both the West End Run and at the RSC. It is now on its second UK tour for a limited run that stops at Lowry, this week. And while it may not be Home, Lowry did stage many productions for the old Library theatre company while it was waiting for its new Home to be built, so I think it is only fair that it shares in some of the success of this ground-breaking production.

While recent years have seen many gender switches of main Shakespearean characters, Oberman is the first female to take on the problematic villain of Shylock. She does it in such a way that the human complexities of the character come to the fore and it is hard to imagine the old, Jewish money lender, stuck on demanding her ‘pound of flesh’ not being a woman.

In many ways this is a passion project for Oberman whose inspiration for the reimagination of this play comes from her great grandmother, Annie who stood strong against Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists in the 1930s during the Battle of Cable.

As leading actor, associate director and co-adapter, Oberman has worked with director Brigid Larmour to create a tight and immersive new two-hour production that sets the action in London’s East End at the time between the two world wars. Projections of film from that time are used at various points within the play to emphasise this historical setting.

As the play opens, I was one of several audience members to be offered a small drink to share in a blessing at the Shabbat dinner. If you feel warmed at the start, don’t be fooled. This is an uncomfortable ride, more so because as extreme as it feels to watch, we know history has taught us things can and did get so much worse.

Antonio (played in this run by an imposing Joseph Millson), Portia (a perfectly clipped and spoiled, Georgie Fellows) and Bassanio (a handsome yet slippery Gavin Fowler) are here portrayed as fascists whose antisemitism has become normalised. Even nervous Irish housemaid Mary (Evie Hargreaves), who has genuine affection for Shylock’s daughter Jessica (Grainne Dromgoole) can’t resist joining in the smearing of her former employer.
Salerio and Salanio are here characterised as a Blackshirt and a Police officer. Their nonchalance to Shylock’s “If you prick us do we not bleed?” speech is chilling.

The additional battle cry ending of ‘They shall not pass’, not in the original play, comes almost as a necessary relief to the audience. It is at this point, Oberman’s breaks character to speak of her great grandmother’s resistance to 1930s fascism. She also recognises the proud history of Manchester in this respect too. It is a powerful and moving piece of theatre that gives Shakespeare’s human observations a strong, albeit disturbing, relevance to today.

The Merchant of Venice 1936 is at Lowry, Salford from 25 February to 1 March 2025 before continuing on tour.