The Guardian 23 January 2025

He likes a bit of a laugh, this Shylock. Played with cool authority by John Douglas Thompson in a suit that blends with the grey concrete of Riccardo Hernandez’s brutalist set, he is even-tempered and jovial. Whether he is a “villain with a smiling cheek”, as Antonio characterises him, is a moot point. His darker side lies just below the genial surface, not so much a character flaw as the product of an oppressive culture.

Take Antonio. Played by Alfredo Narciso, he comes across as sensitive, generous, maybe even soulful; the kind of good guy who would stump up 3,000 ducats for a friend even when his wealth is all at sea. His look – suit and T-shirt, white sneakers, no socks – has the air of tech-bro affluence. [READ MORE]

By Mark Fisher

MARK FISHER is a freelance theatre critic and feature writer based in Edinburgh and has written about theatre in Scotland since the late-1980s. He is a theatre critic for The Guardian, a former editor of The List magazine and a frequent contributor to the Scotsman and other publications. He is the co-editor of the play anthology Made in Scotland (1995), and the author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide (2012) and How to Write About Theatre (2015) – all Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. He is also the editor of The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book (both Mark Fisher Ltd).