'Playing Shylock' Off-Broadway review — Saul Rubinek explores Shakespeare and Jewish identity
Read our review of Playing Shylock off Broadway, a solo play written by Mark Leiren-Young and incorporating the life story of its star, Saul Rubinek.
Saul Rubinek is a magnetic presence. He paces the Polonsky Shakespeare Center stage and our eyes can’t help but follow as he rails against the sudden cancellation of a production of The Merchant of Venice, in which he was starring as Shylock. The cast got the news at intermission, leaving them unable to go through with the second act. Dressed in an orthodox costume inspired by what his Polish ancestors would have worn, Rubinek slowly removes elements of the outfit with a world-weariness that deepens the longer he speaks. His anger spikes, ebbs, and crystallizes, and the audience is along for the ride.
Playing Shylock is an adaptation of Mark Leiren-Young’s original 1996 play, titled simply Shylock, and the fictionalized self Rubinek is playing was originally a completely invented character named Jon Davies. Together, Leiren-Young and Rubinek blend fact and fiction and create a compelling discourse strengthened by Rubinek’s own biography. His family history, scarred by the horrors of the Holocaust, provides the pathos in this play's attempt to answer the question: “What [does] a Jew on stage mean today?”
Rubinek unpacks the reasons — present and historical — why this fictional Merchant production was canceled. “Shylock is the first three-dimensional Jewish character in [...] the history of literature,” he argues. But Shylock also “helped spread stereotypes around the world, and kept them alive. Shylock, who is a part of the history of antisemitism.” So does a Jewish actor deserve to be canceled for wanting to bring some humanity to this infamous villain?
The jokes aren’t always the sharpest — a lot of the humor verges on the dad variety — but when the writing is earnest, the frustration is palpable and heartfelt, though some of the script’s ruminations on acting as “appropriation” may not resonate with all audiences. But Rubinek’s delivery has paternal comfort and well-earned cynicism.
The beating heart of Playing Shylock is best on view when Rubinek reveals that he doctored a snippet of Merchant of Venice, which he had performed for us earlier. Avid Shakespeareans won’t remember Portia ever quoting Jewish law to Shylock, but Rubinek says there is so much potential in challenging Shylock’s vengeance this way.
“Venetian law, Christian law, might have let Shylock take a life. Jewish law — far more civilized. Jews don’t get to kill. Not based on a contract.” He wrote this in, he explains, for his zayde, his grandfather: an expert on Torah law, who spoke and dressed like his Shylock, and whom Rubinek never got to meet.
Playing Shylock summary
A production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is canceled before the second act begins due to public outcry about Saul Rubinek, a Jewish man, being cast as the villain Shylock, a famously problematic Jewish character. As a fictionalized version of himself, Rubinek comes out on stage to apologize to us, the audience, about our night being cut short. He’s at his wit’s end about the controversy, much of which he finds ironic, and his vent about being “Jewish enough” for the role evolves into an exploration of his own life story as well as Shylock's impact on 400 years of literature.
What to expect at Playing Shylock
Of all of Shakespeare’s “problem plays,” which straddle comedy and tragedy, The Merchant of Venice may be the thorniest. For centuries, it was one of the Bard's most popular plays, and it was even the first professionally staged Shakespeare production in America back in 1752. Merchant was “bigger than Lear. Bigger than Midsummer. Bigger than Hamlet,” Rubinek says. But the center of it all is the question of Shylock. It’s simply delightful to watch Rubinek comb through the tangles, exposing the good, bad, and ugly with equal reverence.
The Shakespeare references in Playing Shylock are thick and fast, and those not familiar with The Merchant of Venice may want to brush up beforehand (as my +1 commented). Rubinek’s influence on the script is most evident in the discussion of Shakespeare himself, where the actor makes the case for the courtier Edward de Vere as the real author of his plays. Rubinek also draws a parallel between his own performance being canceled and the danger of censorship de Vere may have faced in Elizabethan times had he published under his own name.
What audiences are saying about Playing Shylock
At the time of publication, Playing Shylock has an 88% audience approval score on the review aggregator Show-Score, compiled from 13 reviews. Theatregoers praise Rubinek’s performance and Leiren-Young’s sharp, thought-provoking script.
- “This play is at the intersection of real life and drama, crossing the fourth wall and bridging an amazing biography and history lesson all in one fantastic ride.” - Show-Score user Cathy 6188
- “It’s both authentic and resonant. [Rubinek’s] performance itself is brilliant.” - Show-Score user YaFirst
- “Brilliant storytelling and stunning acting converge as Saul Rubinek reenacts his remarkable life story.” - Show-Score user Hara
Read more audience reviews of Playing Shylock on Show-Score.
Who should see Playing Shylock
- Theatregoers looking for well-written discussions of Jewish identity will find here a thoughtful, deeply personal exploration of Rubinek’s background, spanning three generations, two continents, and a world war.
- Anyone who enjoys solo shows will be captivated by Rubinek’s presence on stage and the compelling story he has to tell.
- Fans of Shakespearean theater will enjoy Rubinek and Leiren-Young’s exploration of the existence and the importance of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, though any diehard fans should prepare to have their feathers ruffled when Shakespeare’s identity is disputed.
Learn more about Playing Shylock off Broadway
Saul Rubinek is compelling and achingly sincere in this thoughtful, thought-provoking one-man show on the meaning of Jewish identity on stage.
*Photo credit: Saul Rubinek in Playing Shylock off Broadway. (Photos by Dahlia Katz)
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