Agitprop Shakespeare - The Merchant of Venice 1936

I wanted to see whether the Royal Shakespeare Company setting this racist play in London (Cable Street) at the time of Oswald Mosely could possibly redeem it.

The reviews have given the production a good sprinkling of stars but it's problematic. It opens with a (non-Shakespearian, obviously) Jewish family gathering where the celebrations are in Yiddish. The backdrop has projections of racist posters from the 1930s. So we know where we stand. But... I don't think that Shylock played as a single mother makes her any nicer a person than in the original, even though Tracy-Ann Oberman's powerful acting communicates (some of) the pain and injustice of anti-Semitism and shows her vengefulness against the Gentiles as political rather than just personal or characteristic of Jews.

In this context, Shakespeare's parallel plot, about love, paternal control and Portia's suitor having to decide whether she is more gold, silver or lead, becomes an irrelevant distraction.

As in the original, Antonio's wealth is shipwrecked and Shylock is forced to recompense him. Everyone bar Shylock and Jessica are played as supporters of the the British Union of Fascists and, however moving, it's unconvincing that they all shed their armbands at the end and stand chanting behind a 'They shall not pass,' banner.

I don't actually think this play is redeemable and I wonder why the RSC went through such contortions to try when it could have put on a more convincing anti-racist play.

Though it is really important that we're thinking and talking about fascism right now and just maybe a Shakespeare play makes that more likely to happen?