T.R. Knight Joins THE MERCHANT OF VENICE at Classic Stage Company

Further details and additional cast members have been revealed for The Merchant of Venice, directed and adapted by Igor Golyak, beginning performances at The Lynn F. Angelson Theater, Classic Stage Company (CSC) on November 22, and opening on November 25. In a nightclub environment akin to a late-night comedy show, this Merchant brings Shakespeare’s “festival” setting for the play into our modern world. Superheroes and their archenemies battle it out to protect good in the face of evil. Will love, justice and order prevail? Who defines love, justice and order? The audience and cast wrestle with these questions and their dead-serious consequences.
 
The Merchant of Venice is produced by Arlekin Players Theatre & MART Foundation in association with Jadow Productions.
 
It was announced today that T.R. Knight ("Grey's Anatomy," Parade, Noises Off, Tartuffe), will play Antonio, the ring-leader and emcee, who encourages the live audience to laugh, sing along, boo, and ultimately face the surprising, tragic twist of an ending.
 
T.R. Knight began rehearsals this week and commented, "Getting to work with Igor and the troupe behind his production of Our Class, a production that is heartbreakingly inventive and rearranged my molecules, is thrilling, and I’m grateful and honored to be a part of Igor’s production of The Merchant of Venice.”
 
Joining Knight are Richard Topol (Indecent, Our Class, Godfather of Harlem) as Shylock and Alexandra Silber (Fiddler on the Roof, Our Class, Carousel) as Portia along with Gus Birney (Jessica/Ensemble), Tess Goldwyn (Nerisa/Ensemble), José Espinosa (Bassanio/Ensemble), Stephen Ochsner (Launcelot Gobbo/Ensemble), Delilah Napier (Understudy), Noah Pacht (Lorenzo/Ensemble) and Elan Zafir (Understudy).
 
The Merchant of Venice has scenic design by Jan Pappelbaum of the Schaubuehne, costume and props design by Sasha Ageeva, lighting design by Seth Reiser, and sound design by Fedor Zhuravlev, who has also composed music for the production. Golyak is designing projections. Kyra Bowie is the production stage manager, John Lant /Write Act is production manager, general management is by Martin Platt/Perry Street Theatricals, and The Merchant of Venice is co-presented by Sofia Kapkova/MART Foundation, and executive produced by Sara Stackhouse/Arlekin Players Theatre.
 
"The first Quarto published in1600 titled this play “The most excellent historie of the merchant of Venice with the extreame crueltie of Shylocke the Jewe towards the sayd merchant, in cutting a just pound of his flesh: and the obtayning of Portia by the choyse of three chests.” That’s a mouthful.” says director Igor Golyak. “It casts Shylock as a cruel villain and sets the expectation of a love story, a comedy, and a ruinous tragedy all wrapped into one. We are true to this in our production and we deliver all of it - an undercurrent of bias, a comedy, romance, action and escapades - a real romp of a performance. But antisemitism is a light sleeper, and as the story plays out, it inevitably awakens and the result is devastating. It mirrors who we are, the times we live in, and how quickly the tides can turn. It’s a wild ride."
 
This is the second of two Arlekin productions at Classic Stage this fall, part of Arlekin’s residency there through December 22. The first is the acclaimed Our Class, also directed by Golyak, is running now through November 3 after premiering at BAM in January. The show received Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle nominations following the BAM production.

Executive Producer Sara Stackhouse said, “It is a dream come true to bring these two powerhouse productions — Our Class and Merchant of Venice — to New York back-to-back. Our fearless director, Igor Golyak, has worked his magic with this ensemble of special actors and our international design team to create two vastly different experiences for the audience. The shows both center around antisemitism and are about how alliances between people can turn on a dime with shocking consequences. The vibe of Merchant of Venice couldn’t be more different than the world of Our Class, and the 1-2 punch of these shows, one following the other, is powerful, and needed in this moment. We are grateful to MART Foundation and Classic Stage Company for partnering to make this dream a reality.” 

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