Not Satisfactory

I just returned home from a performance of "The Merchant of Venice" at
the Trinity Rep in Providence. I went with some very special friends who not
only live nearby but who also subscribe, and I may add without prejudice -
really dear and wonderful friends.

Usually, this company inspires, takes creative risks, challenges you as
an audience member, and can often shed new light on old as well as new
works. Once in a great while - they totally miss and tonight was one of
those times. Yes - this particular play is difficult to produce in our current
politically correct landscape, but this was a major miscalculation and not
a qualified risk.

 A great Portia, Shylock or Antonio can save any production, but one out
of three can not. This was a director's piece in this presentation and the
failure to execute the furrows and plantings of this text did not create
a reality that benefited this piece.

The clowns were over the top and distracted from the dark tragi-comedy.
They suspended any truth that might be told and just did not fit, a major
miscalculation from the director. I was left with more unanswered questions
about chatacter relationships and development. If the text is missing any
of this (which is not typical of Shakespeare) then the director must add this
in the visual representation. So much was missed this way that the tying of
loose ends of the plot at the end were left unexpressed.

Shylock did not break my heart, Jessica's issues were left unresolved, Portia
fell short in the trial scene, Lorenzo was underdefined, Bassanio just missed
the mark. In a work that demands a clear focus on each character and their
individual motivation and then the complicated interrelationships, the director
did not create the needed clarity. So we in the audience could only reach
for conclusions that were not expressed in the performance. It should not
be this way.