''Shylock'' is a monologue in one 80-minute act written by Canadian playwright
Mark Leiren-Young
Mark Leiren-Young (born 1962) is a Canadian playwright, author, journalist, screenwriter, filmmaker and performer. He lives in Saanich, British Columbia.
Early life
Mark Leiren-Young was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He spent two years at ...
. It premiered at
Bard on the Beach
Bard on the Beach is Western Canada's largest professional Shakespeare festival. The theatre Festival runs annually from early June through September in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Festival is produced by Bard on the Beach Theatre Soc ...
on August 5, 1996, where it was directed by
John Juliani
John Juliani (March 24, 1940, Montreal – August 21, 2003, Vancouver) was a Canadian actor, writer, producer, director and educator. His career spanned four decades in a number of different media, including radio and film. In addition to his ar ...
and starred popular Canadian radio host, David Berner. Its American debut was in 1998 at Philadelphia’s
Walnut Street Theatre
The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by the Walnu ...
where it was directed by Deborah Block, starred William Leach and was “Barrymore Recommended.” It has since been produced at theatres,
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
Festivals and Fringes throughout Canada and the US (including the
San Diego Repertory Theatre
The San Diego Repertory Theatre is a performing arts company in San Diego, California.
History
The company grew out of Indian Magique, a street theater group of actors, writers, directors, and producers, some of whom were theater graduates from ...
where it was staged opposite a controversial production of ''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
''), was translated for a production in Denmark and has been staged twice by the original actor, Berner, in Venice. A Czech translation by Jitka Sloupova ran in Prague from 2016-2019 at Divadlo Na Jezerce and starred
Milan Kňažko
Milan Kňažko (born 28 August 1945) is a Slovak actor and politician. He was one of the leading personalities of the Public against Violence movement in November 1989 and one of the most popular faces of the Velvet Revolution in Slovakia.
Act ...
.
The play focuses on a Jewish actor named Jon Davies, who is featured as
Shylock in a production of
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
’s ''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
''. Jon addresses his audience at a “talk back” session, after the play is closed abruptly due to controversy over the play’s alleged
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
. Davies is portrayed both in and out of character, presenting and stripping down the layers between character and actor.
Background
In the comedy ''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
'', the character of
Shylock lends a fellow merchant money. The merchant’s ships sink, yet despite this loss,
Shylock demands his money back. His defiant nature supposedly stems from a desire to avenge the unfair treatment of his Jewish people by Christians.
Shylock is ultimately humiliated by the Christian court, his daughter disobeys him and marries out of race, and he is swindled out of his bond and forced to convert. At the time it was written, in 16th-century Venice, Jewish citizens were locked in the ghetto at nighttime and were forced to wear identifying hats during the day.
Plot
Actor Jon Davies asserts that
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
intended the character of
Shylock to be played as a villain in ''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
'' based on the attitudes towards Jews during the era he was writing. His portrayal during past productions presented
Shylock as a clown or tragic victim. His portrayal of the character as a villain causes drastic upset amongst audience members, a professor going so far as to spit at Davies. The professor, who is herself Jewish, disagrees with his views and calls him a “traitor to his race” after opening night, publishing a harsh review and organizing a boycott. Due to the uproar the play’s run gets cut short and a frustrated Davies is forced to confront his last audience. He comes out in full costume, make-up, and prosthetics, and strips off the character layer by layer as he speaks, until he stands before the audience to be judged as himself. Davies, a well-educated thespian, clarifies that
Shylock was met with antagonism not because of outrage at his portrayal, but because of his recognized status as villain of the play. Davies argues that art and theatre should be provocative and challenging, regardless of potentially offensive or uncomfortable subjects.
Themes
The play addresses questions surrounding the diverse nature of art, the role and duties of the artist and the theatre in regards to audience reaction and critical response. Jon decides to play
Shylock not as a victim, but as a villain, causing conflict due to his own Jewish heritage and his layered portrayal of
Shylock’s character. Questions of historical revisionism, cultural manipulation, and political correctness lead to accusations of racism and of Jon as a “self-hating Jew”, forcing him to reassess his interpretation of the character as an actor, as well as his own persona. ''Shylock'' also examines the integrity of theatre at present through the lens of oversimplified Shakespearean translations, questioning the future of stage productions under the weight of censorship.
Responses
''Shylock'' has received overwhelmingly positive critical and popular response, the script having been staged across Canada and the United States. The play has been continually praised by reviewers for directly confronting the controversy surrounding
Antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
in
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
. Writer Douglas J. Keating of the ''Inquirer Theatre Critic'' commends Leiren-Young for making “it clear what he thinks about the issues surrounding
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
while presenting “the controversy about its performance and censorship fully and fairly”. Its clutter-free set creates an intimate, relatable setting, while its dialogue is praised for adeptly engaging the audience with wit and humor. The
Vancouver Courier
The ''Vancouver Courier'' was a Canadian semi-weekly local newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by the Van-Net chain owned by Glacier Media Group. In 2007, it was Canada's largest distributed community newspaper, with a we ...
calls the work “Dangerous, daring and provocative”. Michael Turner in Canada’s
National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
deems ''Shylock'' “an effective piece of writing” garnering a “lively” and engaged response from audience members.
[Wanderlust Theatre Co. “Shylock by Mark Leiren-Young, Featuring M. Brady McKellar”. ''Wanderlust Theatre''. 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2013.] In 1994, ''Shylock'' won Second Prize in Canada’s National One-Act Playwriting Competition.
References
{{The Merchant of Venice
1996 plays
Works based on The Merchant of Venice
Canadian plays
Plays for one performer