The Merchant of Venice is a troublesome play. I have seen productions that have played up the comic aspects to an absurd and irritating degree while confining Shylock to the stereotype that bears his name. Some interpretations exploit the play as anti-Semitic propaganda. And none of the productions I have seen have united the two main narrative threads to any satisfying degree. Not surprisingly, The Merchant of Venice has remained one of my least favourite of Shakespeare’s plays.

What a difference an evening can make.

Bell Shakespeare’s new production under the inspired direction of Anne-Louise Sarks is a brilliant, illuminating, dramatically compelling interpretation in which the comic and tragic are perfectly balanced. It has made me see the play anew.