From 6th- 25th October 2015, the play, Merchant of Vembley was showcased at the Cockpit Theatre, London- a play written by Shishir Kurup, and directed by Ajay Chowdhury.
Merchant of Vembley, as the name suggests, is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice, but with a “desi” twist. The play focuses on the south Asian community of North West London, and deals with issues of racism and Islamaphobia, issues which are not only prevalent in contemporary Britain, but globally as well.
Speaking about what drew him to direct Shishir Kurup's script, Ajay Chowdhury said, “It is a brilliant script because it maintains the essence of the Shakespearian story but has been completely reimagined to a contemporary London, and all done in iambic pentameter! I loved its 'masala' of references from Bollywood to contemporary pop music to the language of the streets of West London, all under the backdrop of money, racism and intolerance. It made me laugh and also question a lot of ideas that I myself had.”
He added, “He has also subverted the original extremely well- if you know the original, a lot of things you expect to happen do not and a lot of things happen that you don't expect. It is rare to find a modern play with a lot of character. Given the debates on diversity these days, the timing was particularly good. Finally I loved his use of language- using English, Hindi, Jamaican vernacular in pentameter is wonderful.”
The cast of Merchant of Vembley encompasses a bunch of talented actors who bring alive the characters on stage; some playing more than one part. The cast includes, Rohit Gokani, who portrays Devendra and Bipin Shah; Shamir Dawood, portrayed Jeetendra- a Bollywood star; Emilio Doorgasingh, portrayed Sharuk- a strict Muslim; and Aria Prasad, who portrayed the rich heiress, Pushpa. An actor that stood out was Ishwar Maharaj, who played the characters Tooranpoi, Rasik, Sabu, as well as the role of a waiter. He brought in an element of comic relief to the play and showcased how brilliantly talented and versatile he is as an actor.
Staging a play which deals with prejudice, stereotypes and Islamaphobia could be a very dangerous territory if not dealt with sensibly. Chowdhury said, “The anti-semitism in the Shakespeare [play] is very naked and directors have to be very careful on how it is staged. It is interesting that there have been four productions of Merchant this year, given the global rise in anti-semitism. Shishir has taken this idea and translated it to a post 9/11 world where people feel they have the license to demonise Sharuk as a Muslim because of what they read in the newspapers every day. The play does not give any pat answers and the audiences' sympathies keep shifting between the characters.”
Although the concept of the play is interesting and gives the director many scopes to explore and be creative, the play came across as slightly confusing in some portions. The equation between some of the characters were not very clear. There was no clarity to why the supporting characters reacted in a certain way.
Another glitch was that the play was on a thrust stage, which meant that in some sequences, the actors would perform with their backs facing some of the audience; this was slightly distracting and at times, off-putting as well.
On the plus side, the Holi sequence with a choreographed Bollywood number was fun-filled and entertaining. Jarreau Antoine, who played the character of Armando, being the only non-Asian in the cast outshone in the Bollywood dance routine, giving the audience a glimpse of his dancing talent as well.
Overall, Merchant of Vembley is a good watch, thanks to the group of actors who perform with full force and make the characters relatable, as well as believable.
