The Merchant of Venice at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

The Merchant of Venice

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
7 South Calvert St Baltimore

A fairy tale romance between Portia and Bassanio is assisted and encouraged by the generous merchant, Antonio. When Antonio must default on a loan, Shylock, the bitterly vengeful Jewish moneylender demands the gruesome payment of a pound of flesh and only the clever Portia seems able to save Antonio from the consequences of his anti-Semitism. How can audiences reconcile her vision of mercy with the appalling, heartbreaking, powerful character of Shylock, an intelligent and eloquent man tormented into an inhuman quest for justice? This is just one of the questions raised by this mesmerizing play.

Thru - Mar 24, 2012

Price: $15-$36

Stage: Oliver's Carriage House

Show Type: Drama

Running Time: 2 hours 10 mins with 1 intermission

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The Merchant of Venice Reviews

Average Rating based on 4 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Baltimore Sun - Recommended

"... If such casting initially grabs your attention, what ultimately holds it is that Greg Burgess gives such a richly nuanced performance as Shylock. Wearing a long black leather coat, he snarls his lines with such conviction that he's not afraid to make Shylock as unsympathetic as modern audiences have often found him. By the same token, this actor's voice occasionally softens and even breaks as he brings out the hurt Shylock feels over the legal restrictions that make him a second-class citizen."

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- Mike Giuliano

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"... be sure not to miss this entertaining presentation of The Merchant of Venice. You’ll feel like the Bard just brought you into his world."

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- Amanda Gunther

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company does a superb job in presenting The Merchant of Venice almost completely unadorned. The setting is the nave of the Kittamaqundi Community Church in Columbia, best known locally as Oliver’s Carriage House. No stage to speak of. A bench set between two pillars with chairs for the audience set up on both sides almost surrounding the small playing area. Throughout most of the play, the church lighting is turned on full, illuminating the entire area. The Merchant of Venice “unplugged” one might say.

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- Larry Bangs

BroadwayWorld - Recommended

"... Get past directorial choices, however, and this is a pretty good staging. This production one should go to for the acting. There are two towering roles in the play: Portia and Shylock (I have never been convinced that the Merchant of the title, Antonio, deserves to have the play named for him). Howard’s portrayal of Portia is magnificent."

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- Jack L. B. Gohn

The Merchant of Venice at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company