Directed By Derek Doddington
THE MOUND LAWN, MONA VALE GARDENS, CHRISTCHURCH
The infamous tale of Shylock, demanding his pound of flesh, will be performed in the open air, set in the beautiful grounds of Mona Vale Gardens, Christchurch.
The “Merchant of Venice”, listed as one of Shakespeare’s comedies, contains some very funny scenes, whilst this immensely clever play also weaves in the hatred between Antonio, the Christian merchant, and Shylock, the Jewish money-lender.
Shakespeare is no stranger to UK born director Derek Doddington, who has directed and performed in many productions of The Bard’s work, including having already portrayed Shylock back in 1997 in the UK. With Doddington’s desire to play Shylock again, he has enlisted Cheryl Anglesey and Chris Domigan to assist as co-directors in this latest traditionally styled production.
As with many of the modern successful adaptations, the script has been cut to make the play more accessible and far easier to understand that the original. And with Doddington’s expertise, although Top Dog Theatre are approaching this play in their familiar format, promising full-on theatre, Doddington promises actors will deliver lines in an easy and natural manner. “It’s a very easy story to follow”, promises the director “and will be an outstanding summer spectacle”.
