The Merchant of Venice 1936 at Liverpool Playhouse

Direct from selling out the RSC and London’s West End, Tracy-Ann Oberman will reprise her role of Shylock in the acclaimed production of The Merchant of Venice 1936 when it tours to Liverpool Playhouse early next year.

With Brigid Larmour as director, the Shakespearean classic is transported to Britain in the 1930s. Described as “striking and impactful” (The Guardian) and “the most important Shakespeare production of the year” (Daily Telegraph), this powerful show sees Shylock, a widowed single mother and survivor of attacks on Jewish people in Russia, running a small business from her home in Cable Street, London.

Set in London in 1936, where the threat of fascism grows day by day, Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists plan a march through the Jewish East End. At the centre of the play stands Tracey-Ann Oberman’s Shylock, a resilient single mother and Jewish moneylender, who is desperate to protect her daughter’s future. When the charismatic merchant Antonio enters her world in need of a loan, a dangerous deal is made. With tensions building – ambition, power and political unrest explode onto the stage – will Shylock take her revenge?

Tracy-Ann Oberman (EastEnders, Doctor Who), who leads a phenomenal cast in this unforgettable retelling, told us, “The message of my female Shylock – based on my Great Grandma, a widow in the East End standing up to Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists, with all her neighbours and others…feels more pertinent than ever. The play is about unity, standing together against hatred and the play’s impact has been beyond my wildest hopes and ambitions for it.”

Billed as a “powerful reminder of a key moment in British history” – this is The Merchant of Venice for a 21st Century audience – and we’re thrilled that the people of Liverpool will get the opportunity to experience this electrifying play.