The Shylock and the Shakespeareans Reviews
"[The Shylock and the Shakespeareans] masterfully recasts the playwright [Shakespeare] as the villain of The Merchant of Venice… Through its dialogue and storytelling, the production also offers a clinic on the nature of anti-Semitism, which operates in its fictional Europe not merely as a personal prejudice, but as a form of structural exclusion, as well as a conspiracy theory that blames Jews for social and political problems. This, Einhorn argues, is the world that Shakespeare shaped…The two characters [Jacob and Jessica] are powerfully portrayed by performers Jeremy Kareken and Yael Haskal, respectively….By looking the text in the eye and compelling audiences to do the same, The Shylock and the Shakespeareans does something no production of The Merchant of Venice ever could."
— Yair Rosenberg The Atlantic (Deep Shtetl)
"a goblet full of delicious and righteous venom I’ve not experienced before in any of his [Edward's] works...Yael Haskal [was] one of the play’s several stand out performers, among whom I would also include Jeremy Karaken and Eric E. Oleson."
— Trav SD Travalanche
"A well-acted, thought-provoking story with a solid point of view... Craig Anderson skillfully embodies Gobbo’s use of a charismatic facade as the bully leader of the Shakespeareans to hide his intellectual challenges and his cowardice. The character also provides some comic relief with his malapropisms. Stephanie Litchfield gives a strong comedic performance as Nerissa giving the character a lightness of expression that borders on slapstick without going overboard. Her comic timing and comedic physicality fit perfectly with the character. Jeremy Kareken’s portrayal of Jacob’s struggle is compelling...Equally as solid is Eric E. Oleson’s characterization of the egocentric arrogance of Antonio when it comes to money, his business interests, and his hatred of Jews... Yael Haskal's performance in the penultimate scene is emotionally powerful. She brings out all of her repressed deep feelings for her father."
— Scotty Bennett Theatre Scene
"Jeremy Kareken's Jacob is wise, an empathetic reading of the character masterfully played, and Craig R. Anderson excels as the foil, a compelling performance that pulls from the darkest, laziest, and most destructive form of bigotry...Gobbo is also funny – malapropisms of the best kind abound...But it is Jessica (Yael Haskal) who stands out as the undeniable star both of the narrative and of the production. She is reimagined such that her isolation – the liminal space that she occupies as neither Jew nor Christian – is centered. Haskal’s performance is devastating... Nina Mann brings an equally compelling performance as Portia – her commanding poise and composure anchor her presence as gentile privilege personified and shine another source of light on the horrible realities that Haskal’s Jessica is doomed to live."
— Noah Simon Jampol Thinking Theater
"Intelligent, thought provoking, sprawling: with some light moments, some light bulb moments, and some really dark moments."
— Jonathan Marshall New York Theater
"In The Merchant of Venice, Jessica is more of a device than a fully rounded character. In Einhorn’s play she is a complex, compassionate figure. Brilliantly acted with a deeply sympathetic understanding by Yael Haskal, Jessica is one of the most compelling new characters that I have encountered...a play that I found exceptionally smart and absorbing. Don’t miss it."
— Mark Savitt Hi! Drama
"Jeremy Kareken is stalwart as Jacob, portraying him as a bold and brave man with high principles who is not about to let others get the best of him, a stand-in for the Jewish people around the world, particularly today, when the rise of anti-Semitism is everywhere. Eric E. Oleson gives Antonio just the right edge, an intelligent man who should know better but has fallen under the spell of the Shakespeareans. Ramona Ponce’s costumes, which meld medieval with modern, are highlighted by the Elizabethan ruffs worn by the bigots around their necks and the yellow circles on the lapels of the Jews, a reference to the rotas that Jews had to wear in Europe beginning in 1217 and which became the Star of David under the Nazis."
— Mark Rifkin This Week in New York
4 CHALLAS! “The Shylock and the Shakespearians can be seen as shining a light on the spread of unfounded discrimination and hatred…It is Off-Broadway as it was intended to be, challenging established norms and introducing new scripts and playwrights.”
— Sue Weston and Sue Rosenthbluth The Jewish Voice and Opinion
“It is not to be missed for any lovers of Shakespeare, of this play in particular, or for those interested in how a civilized society can so Other a group of people.”
– Gwen Orel New York Irish Arts
ALSO:
Read the article in Jewish Week
Present Stage podcast interview