Day 3

Watching The Merchant of Venice in the yard of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre definitely qualifies as one of the highlights of my life. I've been involved with theatre since I was in third grade, and every drama class I've ever taken has at least one in depth section focusing on Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre, so to actually step foot inside it was absolutely surreal. Not going to lie, when I heard that we were standing for this performance, I did a little internal groan. Not that I wasn't excited, but the idea of standing for nearly three hours watching what I thought was going to be a pretty heavy and dramatic show was not the most enticing. I couldn't have been more wrong, though. Standing in the yard, maybe 4 feet from the edge of the stage, was the most fun I've ever had in the theatre. As soon as the show started with a lavish song and dance, I was in awe. It was like we had been invited to party with them, and I just stood starting up at the stage, smiling like an idiot. If before I had wanted to be sitting in the seats, now there was no place I'd rather be than standing in the yard. The performance was unlike any Shakespeare I've ever seen, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to enjoy Shakespeare the same way again. His shows were made to be played to the audience and to interact with the yard. In fact, I had so much fun standing there for three hours, that Camila and I are choosing to stand for As You Like It when we see it even though we have actual seats. 

There were plenty of stand out performances in the show, but Jonathan Pryce as Shylock was truly incredible. This show can be a difficult one to perform in and direct because, as we talked about, the antisemitism can be taken commentary or as actual antisemitism. Shylock himself can really be played as either a hero or a villain, and what I like about Pryce's performance is that he landed somewhere in between. He was human. One of the most profound moments in the show was his monologue to Antonio, asking if Jews were not unlike Christians. He's a man who has been outcast his entire life for his religion and been told he was unworthy because he was different, and he's simply asking if he can be seen as a person rather than plague on society. The final scene of Shylock's christening, which this production added in, made me feel sick to my stomach. Pryce's agony was so guttural and heart-wrenching, and it made me feel almost dirty watching it, like I was watching someone's death. It was beautiful and it absolutely broke my heart. His performance not only made me critically think about society and the way we treat those who are considered "different", but made me want to be a better person. And that is what great theatre is supposed to do.