Chichester Festival Theatre: REVIEW The Merchant of Venice 1936 - Shakespeare transformed and triumphant

If you thought Shakespeare was irrelevant and incomprehensible in 21st century Britain this production will turn those preconceptions on their head.

Director Brigid Larmour’s interpretation of the Bard’s most problematic play is dramatic dynamite – breathtakingly engaging and utterly compelling.

In no small measure, that is down to the triumphant performance of Tracy-Ann Oberman as Jewish money-lender Shylock.

The play relocates from Venice to London’s East End in the 1930s against the backdrop of rising fascist antisemitism. Shylock is transformed from Shakespeare’s grasping, vindictive old man to a courageous, outspoken and hardworking family matriarch.

The merchant in the play’s title is Antonio (Raymond Coulthard) whose outspoken antisemitism is only just outweighed by his need to secure a three month loan to help his friend Brassiano (Gavin Fowler) win the hand of heiress Portia (Hannah Morrish).

Antonio is confident that he will have no difficulty repaying the sum as soon as his trading ships return from sea and has no hesitation in signing a deed with Shylock agreeing to surrender a pound of his own flesh if he defaults.

When his ships fail to return and his fortune is lost, Shylock demands her legal rights in a court presided over by the Duke – or perhaps, in a London context, that should be mayor.

There follows some of the greatest lines in the Shakespeare cannon – not least Portia’s plea for Shylock to show mercy.

The court scene is edge of the seat acting – turning and twisting better than any modern-day thriller.

This is a terrific adaptation, heavily cutting the original script, modifying the language just a little and extracting from perhaps Shakespeare’s deliberate ambiguity a deep-rooted sympathy for Shylock.

Productions of the past have been used as overt propaganda to defame the Jews. But not tonight. Thanks to the girl-power of the cast and the mesmerising performance of Oberman this proves a powerful celebration.

The packed Minerva theatre is a sell-out for this short run – let’s hope the cast can be persuaded to make a return visit.