Review | Arin Arbus’ vaunted vision of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is brutally challenging but should be so much more

Royal Lyceum Edinburgh

Cold, towering and imposing, Riccardo Hernadez’ brutalist set dominates this modern reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice from New York’s Theatre For A New Audience. That is apt for a piece in which the Bard of Avon’s words have seldom been more brutal, hate-filled and visceral, however, like the sign in the foyer of the Royal Lyceum warning of ‘implied’ sexual violence, the full viciousness of the text is never fully realised in this uneven production.

Continue reading here…