The Merchant of Venice, Globe Theatre

Well, at least I don't need to spend any time explaining the plot of this one, do I?

Sometimes it's great to do something at such short notice that the surprise of it all becomes a part of the experience.  We'd decided to have a look at the outside of The Globe en route to Tate Modern, not having explored this area much before.  But had also read that there would be a performance of Merchant on at 2pm.  So, on the off chance, there we were at ten to two, asking if there were any returns.  And verily the gods did smile upon us.  Even if we did have to sit well apart.  Sat in time to see the preliminary masque, and take in the unique surroundings, before the action commenced and sucked me in.

Having come along with no preconceptions concerning the casting, staging or direction it felt entirely fresh whilst seeming comfortably familiar.  What was clear from the outset was that this production sought to eke out every ounce of comedy from the lines, and would bring the audience into the joke.  Which is what the Globe is all about, attempting to recreate the contemporary Elizabethan experience as far as possible.  Rowdiness included.  It is an experience just to sit in that rounded auditorium, feel the breeze on your face, look down upon the 'peasants' in the standing area (only £5 a ticket - tempting, were it not for the state of our knees) and ignore the discomfort of a wooden bench.

When Shylock walked on my immediate reaction was "Oh look, it's Jonathan Pryce", always one of my favourite screen actors, and, without wishing to sound starstruck, it was impossible to ignore the qualities that he brought to the role and his power on the stage.  The character becomes both ordinary, and therefore easily identified with,amd monstrous, an obsessive with a hate filled streak.

In a strong cast it there were no weak links, but I have to give special mention to Stefan Adegbola as Launcelot Gobbo.  The clowning role right enough, but he maximised the comic opportunities, drawing the audience into his role, even bringing a couple of the 'peasants' up from below to join him on stage and play his conscience and temptation.  A very physical performance, full of energy and expression.

The other stand out performance came from Dorothea Myer-Bennett as Nerissa.  Required to perform in the shadow of her mistress Portia, she nonetheless outshone the bigger part with the timing and delivery of the laugh provoking opportunities she was given.

Not that it was all comedy, and the more serious elements of the drama brought out the necessary tension, with Dominic Mafham's Antonio in genuine fear of the knife Shylock wielded before him.

A modern audience must put aside the now-appalling racism and misogyny in the text, to accept that that is how it was then, and concentrate on the universal messages the play provides. That hatred and fear is not a basis for justice. That love is a tricky course to navigate. And yes, now we an take it as an illustration of the damage that racism and bigotry do to both the perpetrators and the victims.

A fantastic way to spend an afternoon, especially when so unanticipated. It really is something that everyone should try to do at least once.