The Merchant of Venice Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Recommended
"...Ellen Geer's staging at the outdoor Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum fearlessly tackles the theme of anti-Semitism raised by the play head-on, with the benefit of a commanding performance from Alan Blumenfeld as Shylock."
LA Splash- Highly Recommended
"...Director Ellen Geer does a compelling job of helming the production, and all the characters are brought to life by a very talented group of actors. As always, the outdoor free-flowing ambiance of the Theatricum Botanicum lends itself to Shakespeare's plays. Beth Glasner's costumes bring the audience back a few centuries, and the entire production team fulfills its mission with care and competence. Let's face it. Shakespeare never grows old, and this production breathes new life into a classic."
Theatre Notes- Recommended
"...For those who don't know the play, Bassanio (Colin Simon) begs friend and kinsman, Antonio (Franc Ross), a successful merchant of Venice, to loan him 3,000 ducats so he can woo in appropriate style the lovely, wealthy heiress, Portia (the truly lovely Willow Geer). Antonio is cash poor, but agrees to take out a loan from Shylock, a man he has many times berated and abused. In a tense uncomfortable scene loaded with invectives, Shylock ultimately agrees to loan the money without interest, but with the stipulation that if it is not paid back on time, Shylock may take "an equal pound of [Antonio's] fair flesh...to be cut off and taken" in whatever part of his body he likes; an unusual arrangement, to say the least."