The Merchant of Venice 1936 Tickets

This adaptation completely transforms Shakespeare’s familiar play through this new framing, and this is also a rare chance to see a female Shylock. For her ground-breaking performance, Tracy-Ann Oberman has said she drew on the no-nonsense Jewish matriarchs that she grew up around.

Oberman has long been an acclaimed and impressively versatile actress on stage and screen, excelling in everything from sci-fi drama like Doctor Who, soap operas such as EastEnders, comedies like Friday Night Dinner and Toast of London, and theatre productions like Boeing-Boeing and Noises Off. But this is her most personal project yet.

She is reprising her role in the West End run of The Merchant of Venice 1936, as are her fellow cast members Raymond Coulthard, Hannah Morrish, Gavin Fowler, Jessica Dennis, Grainne Dromgoole, Xavier Starr, Alex Zur, and Nancy Farino.

It’s a production that is bound to spark spirited debate, with its potent story that travels from Shakespearean England through our recent social history and all the way to a complex present day. This is the play of the moment – and you won’t want to miss the chance to form your own view after experiencing its affecting drama.

What to watch for

● The Merchant of Venice, which was written somewhere between 1596 and 1598, appears in Shakespeare’s First Folio as a comedy, although its mix of tones mean it sometimes feels more like a drama. See how that combination works for this new reading of the play: the levity could make the serious moments more impactful. ● Does Shakespeare want us to sympathise with Shylock or not? That’s the big question of the play. The Merchant of Venice 1936 adds new context that makes Shylock a clear victim, however you’ll spot plenty of evidence that Shakespeare feels for the character too: watch out for the famous “Hath not a Jew eyes?” speech. ● Oswald Mosley’s party, the British Union of Fascists, sought to make alliances with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. His followers became known as “Blackshirts” because they based their look on the Italian fascists. See if you can spot their uniform and armbands with the BUF symbol in the production. ● The Merchant of Venice 1936 also makes a big class distinction between the humble moneylender Shylock and her posh clients. There were, in fact, fascist sympathies among some upper-class Brits at the time – you might spot similarities between this version of Portia and Mosley’s aristocratic wife, Diana Mitford.