ELVIS V SHAKESPEARE

I just can't make up my mind. We saw The Merchant of Venice performed by the RSC at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford on Wednesday and it was hugely entertaining but in a weird way. Roulette tables, Las Vegas, Elvis, game shows and American accents dominated the three hour play.  Although I know the play inside out I found that after half-an-hour, I had no idea what was happening. So I decided to "go with the flow" and just sit, watch and enjoy. In the main, Shakespeare's beautiful language was completely lost (although the script was word-for-word Shakespeare's play) in the American drawl, glitz, singing and dancing which was a real shame. However towards the end we were treated to a truly touching scene when Shylock (Partick Stewart) demanded his pound of flesh and acting I will always remember as Antonio quivered and shook - hands tied above his head wearing an orange Guantanamo jumpsuit, waiting for Shylock to stick the knife in. It was certainly a new twist on an old theme but I'll have to revisit the play in book form to remind myself of what I missed.