Performance

VenueThe Cockpit
TownInner London
CountyGreater London
From6th October 2015
Opened9th October 2015
To25th October 2015
WhenTue-Sat 19:30. Sun 14:00
What is currently on at The Cockpit (V182)

The Merchant of Vembley

The Merchant of VembleyT01283050066
Venice intersects with Wembley in a wickedly funny, inventive, provocative reimagining of Merchant of Venice. In Shishir Kurup's Merchant of Wembley - Venice intersects with Wembley's Ealing Road in a wickedly funny, wildly inventive and politically provocative re-imagining of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Set in Wembley, London in the here and now. A tragi-comic, raucous, dark and irreverent work based on Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice offering a bitingly South Asian perspective. Set in Wembley, London, where hatred and intolerance among Hindus and Muslims have grown to a boiling point. Using music, blank verse and present-day pop references, the play explores how the preponderance of power in one sector of a community can marginalize a minority and provoke reactionary and retributive responses. Jitendra, a Hindu actor, has fled Bollywood stardom to seek fame and fortune in Hollywood. To secure backing for his "India-Indie flick with crossover appeal" he schemes to marry a rich young heiress, Pushpa Shah, and in the process endangers the life of his best friend, Devendra, by becoming entangled with Devendra's nemesis, Sharuk, a Muslim money-lender. Pushpa, is in love with Jitendra, but as per her father's will, must marry only a man who can pass a multi-media test.
Author Shishir Kurup


Archive :: production:T01283050066, play:S01102070399, venue:V182

Production details

UK Premiere. Written in an iambic pentameter replete with Indian, American and Afro-Caribbean jargon

Reviews

Overall: 3.33

Add a Review


The name you give will be stored and displayed with this review


Company

Company Rented Space Theatre Company
Director Ajay Chowdhury
Design Sean Cavanagh
Lighting Ben Cracknell
Design Louise Rhoades-Brown (video)
Performer Jarreau Antoine (Armando - Lorenzo in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Shamir Dawood (Jeetendra - Bassanio in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Mikhael DeVille (Amithabha - Gratiano in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Emilio Doorgasingh (Sharuk - Shylock in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Vijay Doshi (Yoganandra - Salarino in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Rohit Gokani (Devender - Antonio in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Anil Goutam (Shivanabda - Salanio in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Taj Kandula (Kavita - Nerissa in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Ishwar Maharaj (Tooranpoi - Lancelot Gobbo in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Aria Prasad (Pushpa - Portia in Merchant of Venice)
Performer Ambreen Razia (Noorani - Jessica in Merchant of Venice)
CORONAVIRUS: All UK venues closed on 16th March 2020, restrictions were lifted on 19th July 2021. Please note that iUKTDb archive listings between March 2020 and July 2021 may not be accurate as we did not receive details of all rescheduled and cancelled shows.

Listings powered by Dynamic Listing Ltd
Mastodon X - Twitter Multidomain certificate installed
© Dynamic Listing Ltd, UK. 1995-2024