The Merchant of Venice 1936

Birmingham Rep all week.

**** four stars  “alive, relevant and unsettling”

Setting The Merchant of Venice in 1936 proves to be an inspired choice, effectively underscoring that the antisemitism explored in the play is as embedded throughout English history as the playwright who first brought the story to us. The production transports the audience to Bethnal Green with a set that is both evocative and pleasingly accurate, immersing us in a world where the past feels eerily present.

One of the production’s greatest strengths is its ability to pull the audience in opposing directions, ensuring that allegiances shift as the story unfolds. In a time when divisions often feel rigid and binary, it is refreshing to experience a piece of theatre that compels its audience to continuously reassess their sympathies.

The direction and staging are at their most effective in the second half, particularly in the courtroom scene, where the actors can more instinctively engage with the audience, forcing us to confront the stakes of the drama firsthand. This stands in contrast to the first half, which leans into a more naturalistic style that, while atmospheric, risks alienating an audience less familiar with 16th-century English. Efforts to bridge this gap through moments of audience participation and interaction are well-intentioned but ultimately jarring, as they sit uneasily alongside the otherwise restrained approach of the first act.

Costume and accent choices are used to great effect, highlighting how conflicts around immigration, ethnicity, and identity are so often, at their core, conflicts of class. These choices add depth to the production’s exploration of prejudice, making it clear that the social and political anxieties of 1936 are not so distant from our own.

The play reaches its crescendo with a powerful and urgent call to action against the rise of fascism – an ending that feels not only resonant but necessary. While imperfect in its execution, this production succeeds in making Shakespeare’s work feel alive, relevant, and deeply unsettling in all the right ways.

Reviewed by Jonathan Lauren