Merchant of Venice, Arin Arbus & John Douglas Thompson. February, 2022
Two of our TOOJ’s close friends/colleagues/inspirations, director Arin Arbus and actor John Douglas Thompson are back together again - this time in what is sure to be an extraordinary production of Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”. Arbus and Thompson are an extraordinary duo. Each of them is a deeply sensitive artist, and each is deeply devoted to exploring Shakespeare and sharing Shakespeare with contemporary audiences. Their interpretation of the play is sure to be deep, profound and even disturbing. Casting a brilliant Black actor as Shylock is a bold choice - something that has not been done for decades. It will bring up many issues about race and hatred - and about the pressure that outsiders feel from oppressive dominant cultures. Many Jewish people consider The Merchant of Venice to be anti-Semitic because Shylock becomes completely unhinged and demands an actual pound of flesh from Antonio, after Antonio fails to repay a loan. I do not agree. The play is an exploration of the pressures people feel from being hated and shows a man who snaps. Thompson is such a good choice to play this role because of his depth as an actor, and because of his sensitivity to race.
Here’s an article from the NY Times
director Arin Arbus and actor John Douglas Thompson, photo by Amir Hamja for The New York Times
“To John Douglas Thompson, their “full-bodied, color-conscious, diverse production is a clarion call,” a way of debunking even unconscious biases on the part of audience members and asserting that Shakespeare’s words belong to more than just a narrow slice of the populace.
“The most fascinating thing about this poetry,” he said, meaning all of Shakespeare, “is when you let it go with someone of a different culture, of a different race, of a different gender and allow them to be themselves in that language, it’s beautiful. And I think it’s educational. Then you can learn about people, you know, you really can.”
A Shakespeare evangelist through and through, Thompson considers the plays “a birthright,” and likens them to “mother’s milk.”