The Merchant of Venice
By William Shakespeare
performed by Royds Hall school
at Lawrence Batley Theatre
On Monday, 9th of November
It was one of four plays put on by different schools as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival.
I really liked the performance. I thought it was well scripted and the set was very good, I especially liked the newspaper headlines on the back curtain, I felt that they helped me understand the story. The cast was quite big, there was about 20 of them and I thought they all did a good job. I found it interesting that Bassanio was played by a woman because, in Tudor times, Shakespeare's casts were originally all male.
I really liked how in the first half the play, the playwright, Shakespeare, made me dislike Shylock but, towards the end I felt sorry for him because he was forced to change his religion.
I thought the props were well made. I liked the chests because the letters inside them made the play quite funny.
The costumes were quite simple: the men wore suits; the ladies wore skirts and shirts; the extras just wore a white shirt and black pants and Shylock wore a suit with a red shirt, which made him look like a villain. All the Christians wore rosaries, which helped to understand the social norm of the time. And when Shylock was forced to become a Christian they put a rosary around his neck to symbolise the change of religion. I liked the use of glasses as a disguise. Portia and Nerissa wore them to disguise themselves as a Dr and his clerk to get into the court to help Bassanio's friend Antonio.
The use of lighting when Shylock gave his monologue made it very dramatic. There was a spotlight on him and he was kneeling in despair, it made me pity him.
I have seen other Shakespeare plays, but this is the first time I have seen a production of The Merchant Of Venice.
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