| Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"... A balmy suburban night provides a decidedly incongruous backdrop for one of the most problematic of Shakespeare's "problem plays." But though Alison C. Vesely's alfresco staging of "The Merchant of Venice" for First Folio at Oak Brook's Peabody Estate remains faithful to the original's Venetian setting, the play's pungent mix of spite, vengeance, greed and gossip — as toxic as the waters of the Grand Canal — feels right at home in our own acrimonious and narcissistic era. The ugly anti-Semitism that drives the plot remains the fiend at the elbow of all the characters — whether the embittered Jewish moneylender, Shylock, or the casually cruel and conniving Christian citizens who have long made sport at his expense along the Rialto."
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Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Respectable but uninspired, this First Folio Theatre production downplays the ugliness of Shakespeare's notoriously anti-Semitic comedy by (a) lightening up on evil Jewish moneylender Shylock and (b) making it clear early on that the titular merchant, Antonio, is a bigot despite his attractive qualities. Still, the Jew-baiting remains."
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NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Artistic Director Alison C. Vesely’s meandering “Merchant” gets lost in the play’s labyrinthine dramatic comedy structure, and settles for only playing nice. The production cannot shed the sweetness of the company’s suburban outdoor setting, and the result is dominating lukewarm kindness from every character, strangely including the demeaned, however villainous Shylock (Michael Goldberg). Yes, Shylock, the Jewish moneylender who demands, in retribution for unpaid debts, a pound of flesh from the Christian, Antonio (Michael Joseph Mitchell)."
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Chicago Stage Standard - Recommended
"... Both the play and the reading share an amazing stage. Long before the actors parade onto the stage, leisurely picnickers awaiting the show are entertained by the stunning stage-length mural by Ann Davis, carrying out Scenic Designer Angela Weber Miller's Venetian vision. If First Folio ever prints postcards, this set would be my first request. Angela Weber Miller's first First Folio show inspired by a painting was last year's Gothic "Romeo and Juliet," conjuring up Goya's "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters." In form and hue, the show's Renaissance costumes blend beautifully with their scenic backdrop, and I admit I was thinking, "Portia, you can keep your wealth and stampede of suitors, but can I have your sleeves?""
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...His pound of flesh!”- many have used and heard this expression used in conversations regarding revenge, but are not aware of the source. The source is from Shakespeare’s most controversial play, “The Merchant of Venice”, now on the magnificent grounds of The Peabody Estate in Oakbrook, as First Folio Theatre’s Shakespeare under the stars, outdoor theater. The Mayslake Peabody Estate, near route 83 and 31st street in Oakbrook is a beautiful area with the estate itself and rolling hills, loads of trees and a stage that allows you to either sit in their chairs, bring your own or better yet, bring a blanket and plant yourself on the hill where you can relax and watch this troupe of young, bright actors bring the works of Shakespeare to life, under the stars."
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