Pop-up Globe is a replica of the Globe Theatre of 1614, built to the exact specifications of the Bard and his players. This is how the most popular plays in the world were born and staged: with natural light and unplugged sound, a standing audience of general admission ‘groundlings’, direct-audience address, and dirty jokes telegraphed with obscene gestures.
The Merchant of Venice has long been considered a particularly difficult play due to the character of Shylock. To some, the play is one of Shakespeare's greatest pleas for acceptance and against discrimination, but to others, it is starkly antisemitic. But it's also one of his most ingeniously structured works, by turns funny and confronting.
The play will be performed by the Pop-up Globe's Southampton's Company, which is made up of both male and female performers.
Also at the Pop-up Globe: