| The Merchant of Venice | Ride On |
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From the team who brought you Loveplay, Bone and Debris comes a lean, mean take on one of our most intriguing and astonishingly contemporary classics. Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is part comedy part tragedy mixing romance and biting social commentary in a tale of petty cruelties with serious consequences.
Cashed-out rich kid seeks fast loan to win savvy, A-list heiress. Lucky for him, his melancholy friend will act as guarantor with nothing to lose but his life. Meanwhile, two runaway lovers leave behind a devastated, vengeful father who is definitely not allowed in the club. With a point to make and nothing to lose but his pride, justice will all depend on who’s buying.
Tanya Goldberg delighted audiences with her 2004 directorial debut, Loveplay, which still holds the B Sharp record for biggest grossing box office. Her direction of Debris in 2006 earned the company a Green Room Award Nomination for Best Independent Production 2006, and revealed her ability to dig into the darkest recesses of a script’s text.
She says of The Merchant of Venice, ”This is a vicious little play, both thematically and structurally, and in many ways it struggles to find a comfortable resolution. We have come up with an unlikely solution – one which promises to break open the complexities of Shylock’s persona and makes this a fitting Merchant for savvy audiences, built from the passion of our dynamic ensemble.”
The Merchant of Venice boasts an impressive cast of ensemble actors including Christian Barratt-Hill (This Lime Tree Bower – Ensemble Theatre, Some Explicit Polaroids – Darlinghurst Theatre), Ryan Hayward (Troupers - STC, Bone – Ride On), Anna Houston (Servant of Two Masters – Bell Shakespeare), Robert Jago (The Illusion, Cloud Nine – Relaxed and Comfortable), Lee Jones (Duck – Siren Theatre Co.), Richard Gyoerffy (Night Letters – Adelaide Festival, A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Bell Shakespeare) Nathan Lovejoy (The Tempest – Bell Shakespeare), Eve Morey (Pig’s Breakfast – Channel 9), Esti Regos (Splendour – Old Fitzroy), Oliver Wenn (Sharknet – ABC)
Promising a big night of theatre in a little space, The Merchant of Venice marks the first ever Shakespeare to be staged as part of the B Sharp season.
“Fringe theatre doesn't get much more exciting and disturbing than this." - The Age, praise for Debris
Ride On in association with B Sharp presents
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tanya Goldberg
Set Design by Simone Romaniuk
Lighting Design by Verity Hampton
Costume Design by Xanthe Heubel
Composer and Sound Design by Geir Brillian
With Christian Barrett-Hill, Ryan Hayward, Anna Houston, Robert
Jago, Lee Jones, Nathan Lovejoy, Eve Morey, Esti Regos and Oliver Wenn.
Venue: Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre, 25 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills
Preview: 28 June, 2007
Opening Night: 29 June, 2007
Season: 30 June - 15 July, 2007
Times: Tues 7pm, Weds-Sat 8.15pm, Sun 5.15pm
Tickets: $29/$23 (preview $20, Cheap Tues pay-what-you-can, min. $10)
Bookings: 9699 3444 or www.belvoir.com.au
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