The Merchant of Venice (2013)

Audience Comments

Here are some of the things audiences are saying about The Merchant of Venice...

"Brilliant. Heartbreaking. Extremely well directed and acted."
"Absolutely fantastic. I was extremely impressed. All of the actors were excellent."
"Loved it! And the whole pre-show, the masks, the fun small crowd - loved it. I wish I'd been able to stay for the discussion afterwards. The whole cast did a great job, but I was especially excited by the deeply sympathetic portrayal of Shylock."
"Excellent casting, and I loved the intimacy of the theater layout. The dialogue was delivered masterfully, so that even my 10-year old daughter had no trouble understanding what was being said."
"What a fabulous play. So entertaining...You have such a talented group of actors. I've never been disappointed in a performance by your company. Thank you for all your hard work. Your company is a welcomed addition to theater in Ithaca."
"I loved the intimacy of the space. I was impressed by the excellence of the cast: the body language, vocal range and clarity of delivery made the dialog come alive. Being a senior, I appreciate the reasonable price of the tickets."
"LOVED IT!! Thank you very much!"
"The show was great. What wonderful local entertainment!"
"Simply put - It was awesome and I hope to attend another performance."
"We all enjoyed it very much. Keep on doing the fantastic work you do!"
"I will start by saying we drove almost two hours on a pretty snowy day. Our efforts were rewarded ten fold. We loved everything about the show and again, such strong performances by the actors. This would be the third production my daughter and I have seen of ISC. I was an English Lit major hundreds of years ago and for some reason Shakespeare really clicked - I mean I really got it. So I have seen lots of Shakespeare since, and I sure do love the ISC. I am at the point where I really like seeing some of the same actors over - so I really missed Melanie (?) who played Puck in Midsummers Night in the show this time. Oh yes, I brought my girlfriend who has never seen a Shakespeare play (and probably has not read any since high school) and she loved it. My 14 year old daughter also loved it. So just a very big thank you!"
"Fabulous production! Kudos all around!"
"Everyone did a wonderful job! Very professional, all the plots covered very well! Smiled, laughed, cringed, simply got lost in the story! Thank you for a wonderful performance! Can't wait to see more."
"It was thoroughly enjoyable. The actors did a great job!"
"WONDERFUL! The intimate stage was truly enjoyable. The actors...all professionals. I'm starting to get my wife hooked on Shakespeare, and with performances like yours, by my troth success is mine. Can't wait to come back this summer for "Much Ado"..."
"Terrific. My husband, son, daughter-in-law and myself enjoyed the play tremendously. Well done on all counts."
"Excellent show! Very entertaining and moving, with strong, powerfully-depicted characters. I would strongly recommend it to friends, even those who do not frequent Shakespeare performances."
"Absolutely wonderful. Strong performances and excellent use of the small but nicely designed set/space."
"Really strong performances — not a weak link in the bunch! Michael Donato broke my heart as Shylock, as did Matt Winberg as Antonio equally — nice to see those guys flex their skills in dramatic roles, though of course I love their comic work. Danielle Bates turned in a great interpretation of Portia, nicely balancing the comic with the serious. But, though I could go on with praising individuals, in the end, the ensemble and the text really shone through. Well done!"
"We had a great time! We enjoyed the performance with an almost full house of attentive matinee patrons, unusual for a matinee in our experience. The casting, acting, staging, lighting, and costuming were all excellent."
"Truly outstanding! Outstanding acting, direction, costumes, everything! Actors had great voices -- able to understand every word! All perfect! Thank you!"
"Our family really enjoyed it! Though the space was a little tight, it was good as we were able to see the actors up close and get a real appreciation for their performance. I think the actors did a very good job with telling the story, in particular Shylock. We look forward to attending more upcoming events."
"Very good acting; great costumes, nice choice of play and I liked the intimate setting and close proximity between stage and audience."
"The show was absolutely amazing. We traveled from Rochester to see it and if it wasn't such a far drive we would come back to watch it again."
"I really enjoyed this! It was my first experience with the Ithaca Shakespeare Company, and it was great. I brought my two kids (10 & 7) who also enjoyed this a lot. The acting was great, the program/program notes were really helpful for explaining things to the kids, and I'm glad the issue of antisemitism was articulated in the notes. I like the size/intimacy of the venue."
"Loved it! Production exceeded my expectations...some acting chops there! Enjoyed your Portia and her maid servants very much, and Antonio looked so terrified that it made me squirm. Such an intimate venue...loved that. Thanks!"
"Simply a great performance. Thank you."
"I thought it was wonderful. The set was great for the space and the use of lighting really added to the experience. Shylock and Portia totally stole the show!"
"Loved the show. Thought the handbill was outstanding, the staging was simple but perfect, timing was great, the acting superb."
"Excellent production, well acted, well paced, great costumes. Good length of show. Price was very fair."
"It was fabulous! I loved the intimate theater experience."
"Just plain excellent!!! Both I and my 11 year old loved it. I especially appreciated that she was gripped by it from start to finish. The intimacy of the theater, richness of costumes and of course the excellent performances all contributed to this. She very much liked the extended laughing scene. Shylock was just out of this world. All the complexity came across."
"I brought my kids with me and we all thought it was a really great show. It was fun being in such an intimate atmosphere and getting to see the actors so close up. The trial scene near the end was riveting and very emotional."
"Merchant of Venice was amazing; great performances by all the actors and the direction was fabulous. Loved it!"
"Loved it. Small intimate space. Great acting by all, especially the leads and lead supports. Wonderfully, coherent direction. Costumes wonderful...Felt uplifted by a play that has othertimes seemed dark and narrow to me. I loved the experience. I think James I saw the play twice in a week, and I would gladly do the same."
"A fabulous show! Such an inventive way to present the stage and the acting was fantastic. Very much enjoyable. The costumes were also brilliant. Overall, loved the intimate setting, the acting was stellar and I can't wait to see another performance. Why so few a year!?"