The Merchant of Venice 1936 review – Shylock takes on Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts
A striking, slick adaptation of Shakespeare’s problematic play sees Tracy-Ann Oberman play a Jewish matriarch up against the fascists of 1930s London
February 2023
‘Is it antisemitic? Yes’: how Jewish actors and directors tackle The Merchant of Venice
Fresh take on Shakespeare explores antisemitism via 1930s Cable Street
September 2022
‘A call to arms’: Sophie Melville returns to furious drama about austerity’s brutal impact
It was her breakout role – and now the actor is starring once more in Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott, a play that resonates with her personally and politically
March 2022
The Merchant of Venice review – heart-wrenching revenge remix
Abigail Graham trims and reshuffles Shakespeare’s play with glitzy gameshow scenes and a brutal, lonely reckoning
January 2018
Patrick Stewart: my nerve-racking RSC audition with the great John Barton
The actor pays tribute to his mentor John Barton, the Royal Shakespeare Company co-founder who has died aged 89
January 2017
David Hare: classic British drama is ‘being infected’ by radical European staging
Playwright speaks out in new book against ‘distortion’ of plays and move away from tradition
May 2016
Shakespeare solos
Shakespeare Solos: watch the third set of films
Shakespeare solos
Damian Lewis and Zawe Ashton among stars for new set of Shakespeare Solos
May 2015
The Merchant of Venice review – Antonio moves centre stage
The Merchant of Venice review – poorly conceived and drably spoken
The Merchant of Venice review – a double star turn
The Merchant of Venice review – Jonathan Pryce is a Shylock of weight and complexity
December 2014
The Merchant of Venice review – significance steams through
The Merchant of Venice review – Shylock meets Elvis in Vegas
April 2014
Shakespeare's plays – as you like them
Best Shakespeare productions: The Merchant of Venice
Peter O'Toole, Patrick Stewart and Antony Sher have all made stunning Shylocks – which versions of this problematic play have you been sold on?
May 2012
The Merchant of Venice – review
Israeli theatre company Habima's visit, part of the World Shakespeare festival, proved to hold as much drama off stage as it did on, writes Lyn Gardner
