The fifth day. The Main Stage. “The Merchant of Venice” by Bremer Shakespeare Company
By Katarzyna Wysocka, transl.: Maja - Wiktoria Wagner
Polish version: XIII Festiwal Szekspirowski, Dzień 5: Martwa słabość, czyli „Kupiec Wenecki” Bremer Shakespeare Company
Nora Somanin, the director of the performance, has shown us a gloomy play, filled up with symbols, where characters are contemporary people obsessed with achieving a spectacular success, addicted, dominated,used and persecuted. Antonio, Shylock, Portia, Jessica and Bassiano lead their lives full of fears and traumatic experiences of the past. There is no place for joy, the world is making fun of people and their love ripped out of time, miserable and violent. There is no place for authorities and values in this world, people are too weak and harmed to create something that will last. Antonio dies on heart –attack, Shylock gets laughed out at the TV show, and Jessica doesn’t overcome the experience of being sexually abused by her father. She becomes a drug addict together with her spouse. And Portia only for a while feels happy.
The spectator from the very beginning experiences staging of the events. He is welcomed by the actors wearing doctors’ coats and masks who hand out programmes written in German. They are open for a chat in English with guests coming. In the background one can hear a heartbeat which turns out to be Antonio’s as he is to be seen with diodes imitating the ECG sensors. The performance takes place in different places such us Antonio’s company, his home, sauna, in the club with some bodyguards, in the Portia’s room and TV studio. The characters’ fears were visualized by slide projectors and stage closures to which a foil screen was used. Another factor that strengthened the message were the costumes of the cast e.g. rubber, transparent coats with numbers on backs, which might give the impression of fascist fashion. Jessica is wearing a dress, which she uses to cover all her body so that she would hide from her own fears; Antonio as a bankrupt stands barefoot, wearing baggy shirt and long-johns; Lorenzo – the junkie, reminds Elvis Presley.
Bremer Shakespeare Company has shown four cases of Antonio, Shylock, Portia and Jessica. The first three are the formations of the contemporary world. Jessica symbolizes the non-culpable suffering, she is the victim of sexual abuse. She is seeking for some help by e.g.writing on her belly “help me!” or by trying to get out of a foil cage in a slow motion. Jessica Petry (Janina Schulz) is a weak creature, who is looking for some warm from her lover, she is having fun and using drugs bought by money stolen from her father. The character is thrilling although played average.
Tim Lee – Antonio is a gay businessman, who makes a fortune as he knows how to make money. He makes a deal with Shylock while resting in sauna and sipping…mineral water. He leads a fast life at a full speed, however, when being alone he experiences the fears, which are illustrated by being drowned. He is pathetic when being bankrupt, he is afraid so much that he experiences the incapacity to take risks, and he surrenders to Jew’s cruelty. Finally he dies – his heart stopped working. The role of Antonio is precisely recounted and it has been performed in convincing way.
Shylock, the cruel Jew that is a difficult financial opponent, is exposed to the complete moral collapse during the TV show, where he is confronted with his daughter and Antonio. During the recording of the programme everything leads to the failure of Christian Antonio. Shylock, wearing latex gloves, prepares himself for surgery on cutting out Antonio’s heart. He is self-confident and conceited, however, it turns out that the TV presenter was only keeping the audience in insecurity, and as it happens on TV everything was planned beforehand. Antonio is the winner. Shylock is the looser, he goes away without his prize. Peter Luchinger acted with all his body, changing his countenance in a thoughtful and convincing manner. It was felt that he was clasping the team.
Beate Weidenhammer ( Portia) acted in an interesting manner. Her inseparable attribute was a chest, on which there was a drawing of so-called caskets, which she carried and tugged as if it was a ball and chain. It was her inheritance from her father, who ordered to pick a husband only by drawing tickets.
Portia has shot mediocre candidates while waiting for THE ONE chosen- Bassiano, scalping them and enjoying herself in a free time with a piece of sheep cheese. As it can be seen, there are plenty of meanings and hints. Simple scenery, not complicated film style projection.
A difficult job has been done as to display a complicated, contemporary man, tangled up in a web of addictions, existential fears, strange connections, and family trauma. Few stories have been said in a great precision. One can like the staging of that play, nonetheless, it does not leave the feeling on optimism. It is an interesting way to draw the attention of contemporary audience. The world went mad, the Shakespearian characters would say.
Bremer Shakespeare Company,Der Kaufmann von Venedig.Translated by: Maik Hamburger, directed by: Nora Somaini.Cast: Tobias Dürr, Tim D. Lee, Peter Lüchinger, Petra-Janina Schultz, Markus Seuß, Beate Weidenhammer. 5.08. 2009, Teatr Wybrzeże Malarnia.
Więcej o teatrze w na stronie www.pomorzekultury.pl
