The Merchant of Venice Off-Broadway Original Cast

with a Jewish moneylender. The contracts deal with flesh, rings, caskets, and livery; and the play asks how you respond to a broken deal: with justice or mercy. Artistic Director Ike Schambelan states, "'Merchant' is usually seen as a play dealing with anti-Semitism. We think it's about otherness in general since in addition to a Jew, it has a Muslim, a Hispanic, and a blind man — the blind scene is almost always cut." All four of the "others" will be played by one actor, Nicholas Viselli, showing the parallels of prejudice based on race, religion, and disability in a multicultural society that's an international trading center. Be it Venice in 1600 or NYC now, it's a place where cultures clash and conflicts ensue.