Richard Topol, José Espinosa (Photo: Pavel Antonov)

The Merchant of Venice

By Deirdre Donovan

The Arlekin Players Theatre's new production of The Merchant of Venice at the Classic Stage Company, adapted and directed by Igor Golyak, is a wild and wooly take on Shakespeare's great work about anti-Semitism and bigotry. Although it brings some fresh energy to Shakespeare's tragicomedy, Golyak's reimagined Merchant has so many bells and whistles, it's difficult to see the forest through the trees.

When the lights go up, we meet Antonio (T. R. Knight), the host of "The Antonio Show,", a low-rent cable access show (realistic set by Jan Pappelbaum), which is in the midst of preparations for its live airing. The studio's pre-show housecleaning is underway, with a plastic rug covering being rolled up and ghost light being moved into the wings. Dressed in a smart suit and bow tie (costumes by Sasha Ageeva), Antonio immediately breaks the fourth wall, apologizes for supposedly being late, and then shares what soon will transpire before our eyes. He explains that we will get a glimpse of backstage magic as well as a presentation of an updated version of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. During the proceedings, he invites us to applaud, cheer, laugh, and boo at will. Moreover, to encourage robust audience participation, he provides us with a call-and-response practice session, with the show's musicians modeling the specific cues that they actually will use on air.

Stephen Ochsner, T.R. Knight (Photo: Pavel Antonov)

Of course, the device of a show-within-a-show is nothing new to seasoned theatergoers. But Golyak muddies the theatrical waters in his production by not only presenting The Merchant of Venice within the frame of "The Antonio Show," but he also tosses in puppetry, a backstage "catfight," a sonnet recitation, breakdancing, a rap song, superhero costumes, the theme songs from Mission Impossible and Rocky, and more. Given that the show clocks in at two hours with no intermission, there's little space for all its sketches to breathe, not to mention the audience's digestion of each.

In spite of all the shenanigans afoot, Shakespeare's story remarkably still surfaces, albeit with its characters outfitted in contemporary dress and several superhero costumes. Here's the story in a nutshell: Antonio (T. R. Knight), a Venetian merchant, agrees to guarantee a loan for his friend Bassanio (José Espinosa) so he can court the wealthy heiress Portia (Alexandra Silber). Antonio, however, must borrow the money from Shylock (Richard Topol), a Jewish moneylender, who demands a pound of Antonio's flesh if the loan isn't repaid. When Antonio's ships are lost at sea, Shylock demands that Antonio give him his due. But Portia, in superhero disguise, cunningly outwits him in court, saving Antonio and forcing Shylock to convert to Christianity.

The cast of The Merchant of Venice. (Photo: Pavel Antonov)

The acting is the production's ace. Richard Topol, in the plum role of Shylock, is superb. Even though he's wearing a silly Dracula cape, replete with a fake Groucho nose and vampire-like teeth, he effortlessly delivers Shakespeare's iambic pentameter and infuses the famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech with genuine pathos. Topol understudied Al Pacino when he played Shylock at the Public's Delacorte Theater in Central Park in 2010, and it shows.

The rest of the ensemble also deserve plaudits. T. R. Knight, who plays both the talk show host Antonio and the character Antonio demonstrates range and quicksilver timing. Alexandra Silber, as Portia, possesses the poise and cunning that are so central to this complex character. José Espinosa is well cast as the suitor Bassanio, who, though sometimes interpreted as being an heiress-hunting playboy, in this version, truly transforms himself into Portia's selfless lover. Gus Birney convincingly performs Jessica, Shylock's rebellious daughter who elopes with Lorenzo, a Christian, and converts to Christianity. Noah Pacht's Lorenzo brings the requisite boldness to Jessica's lover. Tess Goldwyn, in the minor part of Nerissa, Jessica's lady-in-waiting, makes every stage moment count. And Stephen Ochsner, as Shylock's servant Launcelot Gobbo, reveals his character's courage when deserting the rich Jew Shylock to serve Bassanio.

This Merchant is the second play of Golyak's double-header at the CSC this season. The first play he directed at CSC was Our Class, which ran at the revered East Village institution this past fall after its popular sold-out run at The Brooklyn Academy of Music earlier this year.

Although Golyak comes up short with his retooled Merchant, it underscores how difficult it is to dust off a Shakespeare play and make it speak to us today with intellectual rigor and emotional truth. Perhaps Golyak, the artistic director of the Arlekin Players Theatre based in Needham, Massachusetts, will return to New York in the future and fare better with his next project.

The Merchant of Venice

At the Classic Stage Company, 136 E. 13 Street, Manhattan

For more information, visit www.classicstage.org

Running time: 2 hours with no intermission

Through December 22.