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Shakespeare at its best, Chichester at its best, a better night at the festival theatre I can not remember. The roof lifting audience reaction said it all. This was simply perfect.
This was always going to be a good production. The great Desmond Barrit giving us his Shylock held a tremendous amount of promise. Add to that a great Director, some wonderful designs and a faultless ensemble of actors, Chichester is surely back at the top!
The Venetian theme continues with this year's second main house offering. From the playful Gondoliers we move to the more sinister Merchant of Venice. Contrasting productions indeed, light and dark, quite literally! Set upon the new, rather menacingly named 'Installation' (the Chichester stage has been transformed, doubling in width and has been completely submerged in water for the entire season) Alison Chitty has excelled in using the space to create designs that not only perform with great fluidity (no pun intended!) but are quite magical to look at. Walkways glide through the water, paper boats bob across the stage to represent Antonio's fleet and floating candles aimlessly meander conjuring great romance in Belmont.
With thoughtful direction by Gale Edwards the ensemble all give fine performances. Especially noteworthy are Philip Quast as the troubled Antonio, Dido Miles as the flighty Nerissa and Ed Stoppard as an energetic Lorenzo. Alexandra Moen makes a promising attempt with a pert Jessica. For sheer absurdity surely Ricky Fearon and Paul Leonard must be mentioned as the Princes of Morocco and Arragon.
Patrick Robinson is a solid, if slightly uninteresting Bassanio. Robinson is overshadowed by the glowing performance from Niamh Cusack's Portia. Ms Cusack gives a deliciously airy radiance to the role even if she does fail to generate the presence required for her time played as the male Doctor.
Anyone who has seen Desmond Barrit before in anything from his outrageous Antipholus to his terrifying Trapatchov or his saddened Falstaff will know what great things this man is capable of. Barrit skilfully moves from menace to a tragic figure indeed. As this humbled figure leaves the stage having been denied his bond you feel such sorrow for a man capable of terrible things. Edwards has crowds jeering hatred at poor old Shylock, an alien, resonance indeed in today's world.
This is riveting, terrifying, enchanting and magnificent. Go see.
