What if I told you that tonight you should go to a staged reading of a Shakespeare play? What if I said that it isn't actually even a full play, but only one pivotal scene? Now what if I told you that the show is The Trial and Shylock from The Merchant of Venice performed by Readers Theatre Repertory (RTR), and it's quite good?
Sam A. Mowry, aside from being a kind and intelligent person I got the opportunity to meet last night, does lovely work with one of Shakespeare's most debated characters, Shylock. Sam balances Shylock's humaness, his pain, and his lust for vengence.
Personally I was thrilled to see so many familiar faces in the cast. I worked with both Jane Clark who plays Nerissa and Jonah Weston who plays Gratiano in RTR's production, A Song of Ireland last March. The young man who plays Bassanio, Andy Hillstom, I met only once when we were called in to audition for a reading together at Portland Center Stage (PCS). I was proud of all the actors I knew in the cast.
What was especially interesting about the performance was the discussion we had afterward. Hosted by the director, Dacid Berkson, and involving the audience as well as the cast, the discussion brought up a lot of questions about whether The Merchant of Venice was meant to be an antisemetic play or not. I hope, and believe that tonight's production and discussion will be just as fascinating.
No comments:
Post a Comment