The Merchant of Venice

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Erik Salovaara

At the Currier House Fishbowl

Through this weekend

THE MERCHANT of Venice is often a disturbing play for modern audiences, partly because of the overtones of morbidity and homosexuality in the friendship of Antonio and Bassanio, and partly because of the characters' anti-Semitism toward Shylock. The Currier House Drama Society production of Merchant tries to lessen audience anxiety by addressing these issues in novel ways and by taking advantage of opportunities for humor in what is, after all, supposed to be a comedy.

In the original, Antonio and Bassanio have such extreme affection for each other that each is willing to offer up his life for the other without a second thought. Director Erik Salovaara makes this relationship less disquieting by changing Antonio into a woman, Antonia. Joanna Skoler's controlled performance and a few gender-altered pronouns smooth the transformation.

Jeremy C. Miller confronts the anti-Semitism problem by playing the hated Shylock with a measure of dignity. Portrayals of Shylock have a tendency to paint him as a bloodthirsty, raving madman, and while Miller's Shylock is appropriately vengeful and merciless, he also rarely loses his cool. He demands the justice and respect he deserves as a man but is denied because of his religion. He pleads. "If You prick us [Jews]. do we not bleed?"

The play's other actors try for less serious performances. Mike Gaw and Robert P. Chapski wryly exaggerate their cameos as Portia's unsuccessful suitors. Jeff Hobson is a nicely lecherous Lancelot Gobbo. Phil Fry squeezes the maximum comedic possibilities from his roles as servant Stephano and the blind Old Gobbo.

The various lovers in the play act like lovesick teenagers, comically defusing potentially tense moments. Portia (Alissa Reiner) and Nerissa (Beth Turner) giggle like schoolgirls at a slumber party while they make fun of Portia's suitors in words and gestures. Chris Duffy's Bassanio is always wide-eyed and bewildered, looking like a teen on a first date. While he declares his love to Portia, Nerissa and Gratiano (John C. Buten) make puppydog eyes at each other and blow kisses from opposite sides of the stage.

The production's informality makes the play diminishes tension even further. The play is staged in the round, on a scenery-free platform whose only feature is a large cube in the center. The costumes are modern and semi-casual (jackets and ties for the men, dresses for most of the women); the actors look like Harvard students at a master's tea.

As comfortable as this production is to watch, it retains the play's stark dramatic moments. The slow pacing of these scenes, as well as the play's long denouement, makes Merchant seem even longer than its two-and-a half hours. The Merchant of Venice is a pleasant gondola ride, but if it were any more languorous, it would be up a creek.