{"id":24910,"date":"2017-06-23T03:59:43","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T10:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=24910"},"modified":"2017-06-21T13:16:39","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T20:16:39","slug":"kimmel-plays-shylock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2017\/06\/23\/kimmel-plays-shylock\/","title":{"rendered":"Kimmel plays Shylock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bard on the Beach\u2019s The Merchant of Venice<\/em> is set in modern times, where the character of Shylock, played by Warren Kimmel, is a high-powered businessman. (photo by David Cooper)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Among the Shakespearean works being presented by Bard on the Beach this season is The Merchant of Venice<\/em>, which is being complemented with a short run of local playwright and Jewish community member Mark Leiren-Young\u2019s one-man show Shylock<\/em>. Fellow Jewish community member Warren Kimmel has taken on the daunting task of playing Shylock in both the main production and its eponymous companion piece.<\/p>\n

There is continuing controversy over whether or not theatrical companies should produce Merchant<\/em>. There are those who say the play should be relegated to the dustbin of history while others champion it as an opportunity for meaningful dialogue about outsiders and otherness.<\/p>\n

In Merchant<\/em>, Bassanio, an eligible Venetian bachelor, wishes to \u201cwed wealthily\u201d and woo the beautiful heiress Portia. To do so, he needs money. Enter his friend, Antonio, a successful merchant of Venice, who can guarantee a loan. Jewish moneylender Shylock is approached. Shylock, who has been ridiculed and despised by the citizens of Venice, especially Antonio, sees an opportunity for revenge and agrees to make the loan in return for Antonio\u2019s bond, which, if forfeit, would give Shylock a \u201cpound of Antonio\u2019s flesh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Portia\u2019s father has devised a test for eligible suitors to win his daughter\u2019s hand. The antics of the three suitors vying for the prize provide some comic relief for the tragedy that follows. Bassanio wins his lady but learns that Antonio\u2019s ships have all been wrecked at sea and that the merchant cannot pay back the loan. Shylock is insisting upon his \u201cpound of flesh\u201d so Bassanio makes haste back to Venice.<\/p>\n

This leads to a powerful courtroom scene where Portia, disguised as a young lawyer, makes an emotional plea in her \u201cquality of mercy\u201d speech. However, Shylock insists upon his legal rights and wins the suit. Just as he is about to take his \u201cprize,\u201d Portia points out to him that he is restricted to exactly one pound of flesh and not one drop of Christian blood is to be shed, or else Shylock will forfeit his own life. Shylock agrees to walk away but is nonetheless systematically stripped of all his possessions and forced to convert to Christianity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very flattered when Christopher Gaze, the artistic director, asked me to play Shylock in both plays,\u201d Kimmel told the Independent<\/em>. \u201cThis will be my Bard debut and the first time that I have played a really serious dramatic role in Canada, as my background has mostly been in musicals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimmel, born in South Africa, was trained in classical theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. He compared Shakespeare\u2019s iambic pentameter verses to the rhythm in songs, so there is no problem there, but he has been grappling with how to present this iconic character to audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem I have with the play is the portrayal of Shylock,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is very complicated because it is antisemitic. But, at the same time, it is not just black and white. Shylock is not a nice guy, he is a piece of work \u2013 but a complicated one. On one side, he is an aggressive businessman but, on the other, he lost his wife, had a hell of a life and loves his daughter more than anything, perhaps too much \u2026 to the point that she wants to escape and does so by taking his money and running off with a gentile. So, I have an inner conflict to resolve to get into the character so that it makes sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThat really is the central question, isn\u2019t it \u2013 is this play sympathetic or not? This is the first time a Jew on stage has been portrayed as anything close to human and we can say Shakespeare is amazing for doing this. Or, let\u2019s be honest, it is an antisemitic piece and the guy is basically cast as the villain for whom you have absolutely no sympathy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Some productions portray Shylock in a sympathetic light, while others paint him as the quintessential villain. \u201cThat really is the central question, isn\u2019t it \u2013 is this play sympathetic or not? This is the first time a Jew on stage has been portrayed as anything close to human and we can say Shakespeare is amazing for doing this. Or, let\u2019s be honest, it is an antisemitic piece and the guy is basically cast as the villain for whom you have absolutely no sympathy.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the fourth time Bard will have produced Merchant<\/em> and Kimmel is the third Jewish actor to take on the role. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be Jewish to play Shylock, just like you don\u2019t have to be black to play Othello. However, I do believe there is a cultural sensitivity that a Jewish actor brings to the role,\u201d said Kimmel.<\/p>\n

Many with even only a passing knowledge of literature know who Shylock is, and the iconic \u201cHath not a Jew eyes\u201d soliloquy is as well known as Hamlet\u2019s \u201cTo be or not to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFunnily enough,\u201d said Kimmel, \u201cdoing that soliloquy is not what worries me about the piece\u2026. You can do it as a plea for justice or you can do it with more of an aggressive tone,\u201d he said, paraphrasing the speech\u2019s main point, \u201cBut what about us? We are the same as you, so we don\u2019t need to take this from you anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have decided that I am not going to play it as a victim,\u201d said Kimmel.<\/p>\n

As to the courtroom scene where Shylock demands his \u201cpound of flesh,\u201d he said, \u201cI think I have to play him there as a vengeful kind of guy, I just don\u2019t see any other way to do it. Some productions try to show the struggle between the good soul and the bad soul, but I see him as unrelenting in his quest for the forfeit, even though he has been offered up to three times the original amount of the loan and even though he is aware that what he is doing is wrong, fully aware, but he can\u2019t stop himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is what happens with big emotions like revenge \u2013 one gets tunnel vision. I sing a piece of the [Maurice] Ravel Kaddish, which is very ornate, just before the courtroom scene. The point of that is to show Shylock\u2019s mindset, \u2018Look, my wife is dead, my daughter is dead [to me], I have nothing left to live for, I am going to take this man\u2019s pound of flesh.\u2019 I think that I would like to play the character as sinister but understandable \u2013 that this is a steely, powerful guy who is saying, just because people are prejudiced against you, does not mean you have to be a victim.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bard on the Beach\u2019s Merchant <\/em>is being set in modern-day Venice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a pretend world, it has to be,\u201d said Kimmel. \u201cIt is a corporate banking world of suits that centres around a group of high-powered businessmen. Shylock is one of them. He is savvy and a very powerful guy by virtue of the fact that he has a lot of money. There is a tension there in the play itself as, despite his money, he is treated as a second-class citizen. We are not playing up the religious aspect in terms of costuming so that the only outwardly visible sign of his Judaism will be the yarmulke that I will be wearing \u2013 he is a modern Jew.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the issue of whether or not the play is too offensive for contemporary sensitivities, Kimmel is thoughtful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you should look at it with post-Holocaust eyes,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fact that this version is set in modern times makes it even more difficult to digest. In the actual period, 1500, Jews were essentially reviled wherever they lived, and Shakespeare was just reflecting the animus of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the antisemitism, Kimmel feels that the play is one of the great works of literature and that it is important to see it.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI feel that, as actors, if we are not doing something that is offending someone, why are we doing it? We are supposed to provoke dialogue and conversation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Noting that \u201cthere is way too much political correctness in the world right now,\u201d he said, \u201cI feel that, as actors, if we are not doing something that is offending someone, why are we doing it? We are supposed to provoke dialogue and conversation. For example, when people are spitting on Shylock and calling him a dirty Jew, that has to be part of the story so you get what is going on. You can\u2019t ask, does it offend you because people are spitting on you? That\u2019s the story and that is part of why he goes and tries to cut someone\u2019s heart out. You have to be driven to that, so what would drive you to do that? Once you get the back story, then you see the context of his actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimmel believes audiences will get something different out of this version of the play than from the three previous productions. One of the reasons for this belief, he said, is that the director, Nigel Shawn Williams, is playing on the theme that we are all outsiders at one point or another. Kimmel wants people to leave the theatre challenged to sort out their feelings about what they have just seen.<\/p>\n

Shylock<\/em> will run for one week in September. In this work, the actor who plays Shylock comes out after the final performance of Merchant<\/em> \u2013 the play has been shut down due to public pressure and, as part of a talk-back, the actor defends his participation in it as a Jew and explains why it is important to stage Shakespeare\u2019s play.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am more excited about that piece because, with it, I know exactly where I am at and I get the arguments from both sides,\u201d said Kimmel. \u201cIt was written specifically for Bard and Vancouver to run alongside its 1996 Merchant <\/em>production with local community member David Berner playing the Jewish actor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimmel said, \u201cThe play seems to say that you can\u2019t censor something just because it offends you. Why can\u2019t you have a Jewish villain? Why don\u2019t we just stop doing anyone who is in any way compromised?\u201d<\/p>\n

Audiences will be exposed to a range of perspectives on history, censorship, identity and the meaning of art in this intensive 90-minute offering, which is being directed by first-time Bard director Sherry Yoon, who will be fleshing (pun intended) out the play with projections and sound effects.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cShylock is a character that has endured for over 400 years. He is the best-known Jewish character in literature. There are people the world over who know what a shylock is. That is because he is so fascinating. Jews are fascinating people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThis is the first great Shakespearean character,\u201d said Kimmel of Merchant<\/em>\u2019s Shylock. \u201cAfter this comes Othello, Hamlet and Lear. It is really the first time Shakespeare goes from silly comedies with twins with mistaken identities to serious roles that fascinate humanity through time. Shylock is a character that has endured for over 400 years. He is the best-known Jewish character in literature. There are people the world over who know what a shylock is. That is because he is so fascinating. Jews are fascinating people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The play had been used to incite hatred against Jews \u2013 the Nazis in particular promoted it because it fit in with their worldview.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is exactly why it is important for everyone to see Merchant<\/em> for themselves,\u201d said Kimmel, \u201cso you don\u2019t get the story secondhand \u2013 you should be exposed to it, not told about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bard on the Beach runs until Sept. 24. Its other productions this season are Much Ado About Nothing<\/em>, Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> and Two Gentleman of Verona<\/em>. For the full schedule and tickets, visit bardonthebeach.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tova Kornfeld<\/strong> is a Vancouver freelance writer and lawyer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bard on the Beach\u2019s The Merchant of Venice is set in modern times, where the character of Shylock, played by Warren Kimmel, is a high-powered businessman. (photo by David Cooper) Among the Shakespearean works being presented by Bard on the Beach this season is The Merchant of Venice, which is being complemented with a short […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[785],"tags":[801,1761,1766,6208,1699],"class_list":["post-24910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performing-arts","tag-antisemitism","tag-bard-on-the-beach","tag-shakespeare","tag-theatre","tag-warren-kimmel"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}