The Merchant of Venice at Cothay Manor: Review by Avril Silk (From This is The West Country)

The Merchant of Venice at Cothay Manor: Review by Avril Silk

4:50pm Tuesday 4th August 2009 in Somerset

WHEN I look back on this wash-out of a summer, one evening will stand out in my memory – for all the right reasons.

Miraculously, the evening of July 25 was perfect for The Festival Players Theatre Company’s hugely enjoyable, open-air performance of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice at Cothay Manor.

This all-male production of a play I appeared in when I was fifteen (as Jessica, Shylock’s daughter) was intelligent, likeable and fast-moving thanks to judicious cutting.

I rather wish they’d cut out the tedious stuff with Lancelot Gobbo and his father, but then, I have always struggled with Shakespeare’s deeply unfunny clowns.

The simple, effective set was perfectly complemented by the beautiful medieval Cothay Manor, set against a clear, evening sky.

As the temperature dropped, the audience decked themselves in an eccentric assortment of cosy garments, easily rivalling the costumes on stage.

A stranger chancing on the scene would have wondered just who were the players and who the audience.

A small cast of actors effectively covered a myriad of parts – how they remembered which costume they were meant to be in at any given time is a miracle second only to the fine weather.

The relationship between an impressive Portia and mischievous Nerissa – Matthew Barksby and Paul Thomas – was delightful.

We all enjoyed Tom Giles’ arrogant Prince of Arragon, and felt deeply for Antonio (a subtle performance from David Lee-Jones) as he awaited death at the hands of Shylock.

As Bassanio, James Scannell bought passion and a handsome, dashing presence to the stage.

I was not alone, however, in finding his delivery of the lines unusual and somewhat distracting at times.

So to Shylock, played with restraint and intelligence by director Michael Dyer.

Anti-Semitism is squarely faced in this production, and it seems as if Shylock’s offer to accept a pound of flesh should Antonio’s bond fail, is made in good faith despite the insults heaped upon him by the Gentiles of Venice.

Aged fifteen and now, I felt uneasy about love-struck Jessica’s description of her father as a devil – most teenage daughters are unflattering about their parents – and have always needed more substance for the initial demonization of Shylock.

As Mrs Robb of Cothay Manor said, (dressed in an outfit befitting a film star at a ski resort) “I always end up feeling sorry for Shylock.” She was not alone.

Michael Dyer’s finely-nuanced, almost understated, performance was a highlight of my summer.