Day Five: London - Totally Wrong

The children were left in the care of MP and Auntie Adrienne last night so that Kelly, Toni and I could steal off and see The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare's Globe on Bankside. For my wealth of knowledge of the place, I have only seen one show there, and it was hardly a model example - though I have to say, the "Fancy Dress Party Macbeth" remains the best production of the Scottish Play I've ever seen.

The performance of Merchant couldn't have been more traditional, and pretty much what I would have done if I set out to create a faithful - if patently offensive - production of this unapologetically anti-Semeitic work (though that word would not have meant anything to Shakepeare, blah blah blah, it's a hate-filled play.)

Instead of rationalising that WS was some kind of foreward thinking egalitarian (he wasn't) they chose the other route, which was to make everyone grotesque. Shylock is an evil, hunched, bearded, withered old Jew - and played by John McEnery, the guy who played Mercutio in Zeffirelli's R&J the year I was born. I didn't make the connection util I was looking over the program at the best hole-in-the-wall Indian restauarnt in the world (no wonder the British lost to those people.) The Duke of Morocco was a grinning, strutting, stuffed-codpiece jutting cartoon of an African, the Spaniard an English-mangling braggart, and they even managed to squeeze in a joke at the French where one doesn't exist.

As for the Christians, the masque featured what could almost be constued as a Black Mass ... if it was taken seriously, because really it was more like a bunch of frat boys dressed as priests and bishops and popes in devils' masks, performing an obscene marriage. They profess Christianity, but flagrantly ridicule the its leaders.

Which means they aren't truly hypocrites. They mock the trappings of Christianity - Catholicism, to be precise - but espouse pure love for Christ. One of the funniest moments in the play is when Antionio insists Shylock must be made to convert. To Antionio it isn't a punishment (it wouldn't have been to Shakespeare, nor his audience) but a blessing. However, the look on Shylock's face can't be described. It was hilarious. And that's offensive. And I laughed really loud and I don't feel bad about that.

The one stereotype that remained untouched was that of the (if you believe this sort of thing) homosexual Antonio, and his affection for Bassanio. There is no question that that was his subtext, that that was what he was feeling and thinking - but in a play with such obvious mockery, of everyone, that minority alone was treated with subtelty and respect. And I found that a double-standard. I don't want to sound like one of those people who get bent out of shape, like "man, you can't make fun of gays anymore." In fact, you can, and people do - hell, gay people do - every minute of every day. So, like a number of production elements I found jarring and ill-advised (which don't warrant mentioning) I found the omission disappointing.

I am not suggesting they should have had a mincing Antonio. But if the Duke of Morocco could be made to look and behave like Muhammad Ali, Antonio seemed like he was from a different production.

Big ups to Kristy Besterman and Pippa Nixon, who had to step up from (respectively) the roles of Nerissa and Jessica to the roles of Portia and Nerissa (with Ms. Nixon doubling in her usual role of Jessica) with book in hand to cover for the woman usually playing Portia. The book-in-hand thing was distracting for about two seconds as Ms. Besterman did know and awful lot of the part and was very good in the role.

God bless the understudies, without them we'd all have to go home.