Auckland's Pop-up Globe | The Merchant Of Venice Review

Last updated on 11 April 2018

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The Merchant of Venice was another brilliant performance from the Pop-up Globe.

Already deep in debt to his best friend, Bassanio requires just one more loan to finance his scheme to woo and win the wealthy heiress Portia. But with Antonio’s capital all tied up in foreign trade, the two friends turn to the villainous moneylender Shylock, who agrees to fund their venture on one condition: if the debt is not repaid on time, the forfeit will be a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Blindly confident of success, Antonio accepts the fatal wager, unaware that when the due date comes he will be gambling for his life. – Pop-up Globe

If you’re unaware, the Pop-up Globe is exactly what it sounds like: a pop-up, full replica of the Globe Theatre in London. Each year the replica Globe ‘pops up’ (even though it looks pretty permanent in its Ellerslie location now) to bring guests a variety of different Shakespeare plays for a season. This year’s plays were: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and The Merchant of Venice.

Performed by the Buckingham Company, the all-male cast was superb, wonderfully bringing alive the characters that were created over 400 years ago. Even though it’s a drama, The Merchant of Venice was hilarious, and the interaction with the groundlings (standing tickets) was brilliant (but also made me very glad I was in a seat).

The Merchant of Venice Pop-up Globe Auckland

If you haven’t been to see The Merchant of Venice, then I highly recommend it, or any of the other shows this year. Groundling tickets are only $10, but if you’d like to sit for the duration, you can buy a $49 ticket. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, be sure to have a read up of a summary online to better get an idea of what you’re watching. It definitely helps.

Have you seen The Merchant of Venice? What did you think?