The Merchant of Venice

Mark Thompson's Merchant of Venice for the Royal Lyceum is accessible, contemporary Shakespeare at its best; simple and professional with outstanding performances by many of the lead players.

From first look at the set (a startlingly tall, two-sided, shimmering silver wall) to the final curtain call, this is an arresting and effective interpretation.

The acting is consistently strong, from Liam Brennan's Bassanio down to the suitors Morocco (Christopher John Hall) and Arragon (Harry Smith) who amusingly try and fail to win Portia's hand by choosing the wrong casket through their ignorance.

The comic character Launcelot is brilliantly reworked as a wide boy with a mobile phone, in doc martins and a bomber jacket. Shylock is beautifully played by Jimmy Chisholm, with a Jewish accent that comes through subtly beneath his Scottish lilt. In fact, many of the actors have that Scottish inflection that can bring out so well the poetry of Shakespeare's language.

No production of The Merchant of Venice can avoid the 'Jewish question', as represented by Shylock and his relationship to the other characters. Here, prejudice against the 'hated Jew' is replaced with a hyperawareness of religious conflict in the 21st Century.

Shylock continues to be a deliberately ambiguous character, and Jimmy Chisolm's interpretation as a wounded father and yet merciless avenger is entirely convincing.

A fantastically crafted production of a still highly relevant play.