Shylock
Circa Theatre
February, 1999

Only 312 days to go. Then it’s the Millennium! Here we are all, planning what to do, where to be. Will it sunset under the shadow of Mt Taranaki with Gary McCormick and a cast of thousands? Or sunrise on the East Coast? And that could be bigger than Ben Hur and all. Verily, we are in a total foment.

Pause, in all this excitement and self-congratulatory on-the-edge hype, and ask yourself "What might The Millennium mean to Jews?"

Should you wish to muse further on that thought, see Shylock at Circa. This one-man show is written and performed by Gareth Armstrong. Frank Barrie is the Director. It won 5 stars at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival. That accolade seems insufficient.

You will know Shylock from Merchant of Venice. Or, if Shakespeare is not your thing you will know the word from general conversation. A Shylock is a miser. It is a term of general abuse that’s been around so long its origins may no longer seem significant. Well, maybe that’s not quite so.

The name Shylock was amended for Shakespeare’s audiences. Properly, the name is Shelah; descendent of Noah’s son Shem, ancestor of Abraham. (Genesis 11.12-26)

In 105 minutes (with an interval) Gareth Armstrong’s Shylock explores Jewish history, European history, English History, the history of theatre and the history of the role of Shylock. When Shakespeare wrote Merchant of Venice he would not have ever met a Jew, officially speaking that is, because Jews were not permitted in England at the time. Many had been exterminated in the York purge of 1104; others had been driven out. Any who remained and survived were forced to renounce their faith. Venice was one of the few places in Europe where Jews were tolerated in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries. They were excluded from most occupations and were forced to live in one area of the City. The term ghetto originates from that time and place. As Christians were forbidden to be moneylenders, usury was one of the few careers paths open to Jews.

So how did Shakespeare create the character of the Jew if he had never met any? Firstly, he plagiarised the text of an Italian fairy-tale. Secondly, he found stereotype a useful device. Thirdly, he used the personna of an outsider i.e. a Jew in a Christian society to represent evil. Shylock the greedy moneylender who really wants to see Christian blood spilt is ruined, broken and forlorn. Justice is done and the audience is satisfied that the evil, usurious interloper is well and truly routed.

One of the stereotype myths about Jews which is significant here is that they need to drink Christian blood. In 1946 40 Jews in Poland were slaughtered on the basis of that myth.

Gareth Armstrong will take you on an utterly engaging journey across 2,000 years with stopovers at all sorts of interesting and events places. Forget virtual. See it in the flesh. He has a wonderful voice (he is Welsh, after all) and the ability to slip between a myriad of characters, not the least insignificant of whom is Tubal. Generally, Tubal is not so well known (he has 8 lines in Merchant) but in Gareth’s interpretation Tubal is crucial to the play. The story of Shylock over the last 400 years is told from Tubal’s perspective.

Merchant of Venice has a most comprehensive history. As any respectable controversial work should, the play has been banned, re-written, translated into many different languages and performed all over the world.

The role of Shylock has been the favourite of many actors. The Victorian actor Henry Irving played Shylock more than 1,000 times. Armstrong weaves this in to the play. While doing so he dons the most fabulous silk velvet coat which shimmers and falls. It’s wonderful; instantly one wants a coat exactly like it to wear while sweeping and proclaiming about the house.

The Prime Minister (who was well known for his foppish dress) of the day attended Irving’s opening performance as Shylock in Merchant. Now, there’s a tradition which doesn’t seem to have caught on in the Colonies.

Will the third Millennium be an improvement on the last two? There’s so much more to tell but you would enjoy it far more with your own eyes and ears.

Thanks to the British Council for supporting Gareth Armstrong’s tour of New Zealand and Wellington City Council for their support for Circa theatre. The season runs until March 7 and performances are at 7.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 4.30 p.m. on Sunday. Book on 801 7992. Don’t forget that Circa has a bar, snack food and an affordable restaurant which does a fine dinner.