"4/5 stars...Every aspect of Shakespeare’s complex figure is on painful display...It turns out that Thompson is the mainstay in a production with a split personality...Arbus’s troupe does speak trippingly during the second act...Not so during the first act. From the start there’s so much air-sawing that’s it’s quicker to list the ensemble members who aren’t indulging themselves than those who are...American anti-Semitism is on the rise and racism remains egregiously unabated. Arbus deals brilliantly with both."
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"4/5 stars...What Arbus does bring to the forefront is the reasoning behind Antonio’s 3,000-ducat loan: his love—and we do mean love—for Bassanio...Arbus’ final flourish is the addition of the Kol Nidre—the opening prayer of Yom Kippur—for Shylock and his daughter, Jessica (Danaya Esperanza)...It’s a brief but beautiful epilogue, and a reminder of the power of compassion and understanding."
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