Information for The Merchant of Venice - 1936 at Theatre Royal, Bath (Play). Shylock is a proud and defiant man. But when he demands a severe debt to be repaid he becomes a victim of his own intransigence and most seriously, the prejudice of others. London, 1936 the threat of fascism grows day by day. Shylock a widow, single mother and survivor of attacks on Jewish people in Russia, runs a small business from her home in Cable Street. Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists plan a march through the Jewish East End and a fragile peace is shattered. Into Shylock's world enters antisemitic Antonio in need of a loan, a dangerous deal is made. Will Shylock take her revenge? A powerful reminder of a key moment in British history.

Approximate runtime 2 hours (including any interval).