the Merchant of Venice atop the Said Business School

I totally enjoy the fact that anyone in Oxford can see at least 3 alternate plays, written by the famous William and enacted in various outdoor settings each summer. This year, I started with The Merchant of Venice, performed by the uber creative Creation Theatre company, atop the Said Business School. We took our seats on the cement steps using our pillow seats with backs. It was such a luxury to sit outdoors in warm sunshine and we quickly relaxed into the very natural Shakespearian english. I love the way this troupe genuinely enjoy acting, singing, dancing and entertaining. The set was particularly sparse but very versatile and the rotating stage created the perfect Venetian gondolier at one point. I must admit I have never come across this particular play, but as always with Shakespeare, it is impressively contemporary. Gambling love and money to fuel egos, against a backdrop of genuine love and friendsip amidst racial vilification, superb wit and dramatic disguises. Life is here in its entirety and so much more enjoyable than the tedium and angst of daily travail - and there is the wonderful knowledge that it all works out well in the end - at least for some of them!