Great closing of the prose season of the Teatro Sociale of Rovigo with one of Shakespeare’s most complex works “The Merchant of Venice”, in the refined adaptation signed by Paolo Valerio and performed by a talented company, tested in 110 performances, led by the showman Franco Branciaroli.
A traditional comedy immortalized by time, which nevertheless continues to engage due to its surprisingly topical themes, which have always lent themselves to different readings, thanks to a compelling plot in which a melting pot of characters moves who, with their various points of view, sometimes opposing, sometimes symmetrical, between disguises, role reversals and twists, they represent a varied cross-section of universal humanity.
So much so that it is natural to ask ourselves who the “merchant” really is: the generous Antonio (Piergiorgio Fasolo), who actually practices mercantile activity, or the evil usurer Shylock, who reduces everything to money, even feelings; in the end, united by the same logic, which today we would define as entrepreneurial and business. Their dialectic – together with the corollary of the other characters with their own feelings and vicissitudes – becomes an opportunity for reflection on some problems of the present that are still unresolved in the context of social and power relations: from greed and religious hatred, between conflicts and attempts at integration, to the values of friendship and loyalty, which in the end win in the comforting final solution.
An ending that however leaves viewers with some open questions, about Antonio’s sincere altruism or the obtuse “anaffectionism” of his antagonist, skillfully played by an intense Branciaroli, who manages to attract the audience towards his character with a touch of compassion, almost empathic. Particularly appreciated was the scenic design by Marta Crisolini Malatesta, alluding to the Venetian streets as well as the centuries-old Jewish wailing wall – embellished with costumes by Stefano Nicolao and lights by Gigi Saccomandi – capable of evoking the dark and violent atmospheres of Venice sixteenth-century closed in anti-Semitism, which is contrasted with the Arcadian Belmonte (kingdom of love and justice), the two places from which the two parallel plots unfold: the loan granted by the usurer to Antonio with an unusual pledge of flesh and the courtship of Portia with the choice between three caskets. The unanimous appreciation of the audience was noteworthy, as they counterpointed the piece with warm applause and then lingered at length on the release with flattering comments.
