The Merchant (play)

It is based on William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, and focuses on the Jewish Shylock character, that play's principal antagonist.

[3] A Broadway production was planned for fall 1977, with Zero Mostel in the lead, following a pre-Broadway tryout at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. John Dexter served as director.

The production played the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre, with Mostel's understudy, Joseph Leon, in the leading role of Shylock Kolner.

[7] In addition to Leon, the Broadway company featured John Clements as Antonio Querini, Roberta Maxwell as Portia Contarini, Marian Seldes as Rivka Kolner, Julie Garfield as Jessica Kolner, Gloria Gifford as Nerissa, Everett McGill as Lorenzo Pisani, Nicolas Surovy as Bassanio Visconti, Riggs O'Hara as Graziano Sanudo, and John Seitz as Tubal di Ponti.

[1][10] Reviewing The Merchant, critic Michael Billington wrote "Wesker’s point comes across clearly: that anti-Jewish prejudice is ingrained in English life.