Review Roundup: Saul Rubinek in PLAYING SHYLOCK at Polonsky Shakespeare Center

Saul Rubinek has returned to the stage in the New York premiere of Playing Shylock at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, home of Theatre for a New Audience. The play is directed by Martin Kinch and written by playwright Mark Leiren-Young.

After a production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is cancelled mid-performance because of public outcries about antisemitism, the actor playing Shylock (Rubinek, as a version of himself) asks how we are to share our common humanity when we are not able to share our stories with each other. 

See what the critics are saying here...

Austin Fimmano, New York Theatre Guide:  Saul Rubinek is a magnetic presence. He paces the Polonsky Shakespeare Center stage and our eyes can’t help but follow as he rails against the sudden cancellation of a production of The Merchant of Venice, in which he was starring as Shylock. The cast got the news at intermission, leaving them unable to go through with the second act. Dressed in an orthodox costume inspired by what his Polish ancestors would have worn, Rubinek slowly removes elements of the outfit with a world-weariness that deepens the longer he speaks. His anger spikes, ebbs, and crystallizes, and the audience is along for the ride.

Frank Scheck, New York Stage Review:  Rubinek examines the controversy regarding Shylock, vigorously disputing the notion that the character is a “racist caricature.” He talks about the silliness of the term “Jewface.” As an example, he cites a show in which he appeared, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, in which many of the leading roles, including the title character, were played by non-Jews. Along the way, he launches into several beautifully performed speeches from Merchant, including one delivered in Yiddish. The transitions, accompanied by dramatic music, are seamless, and his renditions demonstrate that he would be a formidable Shylock. It’s a pity that we’re not getting to see him play the role, but it’s no small consolation that we are getting to see him in Playing Shylock.

Jonathan Mandell, New York Theatre:  A play need not be documentary theater, but “Playing Shylock” consists primarily of dispensing information – there is almost no dramatic action – which makes it harder to embrace wholeheartedly when so much of that information is at best unreliable.