At the end of Ian Zammit's robust production of The Merchant of Venice at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith, the closing night audience filled the room with rapturous applause.
William Shakespeare's comedy about avarice, outcasts, deception and the search for love was given a thoroughly modern twist complete with mobile phones, video clickers, selfies, sharp suits, iPads, baseball caps and even Holden shirts.
The direction was clever. Often there was so much happening on stage behind the front-and-centre characters that was just as entertaining -and occasionally more so- than the main story.
The twists and turns in the story of Shylock the moneylender (Errol Henderson) and Antonio (John Michael Burdon), intersecting with the tricky love story of Portia (Julia Kennedy Scott) and Bassanio ( Luke Middlebrook) was beguiling to watch. And the audience lapped up the interaction with the characters off stage as well. Mostly the show brought laughter and plenty of it to the Q.
As Bassanio says to Gratiana: " I would entreat you rather to put on your boldest suit of mirth".
Lighting by Chris Day set the scene and the three hours (plus an interval) rushed by. Unfortunately the closing night's show did not include the company's normal Q and A session with the cast, but after eight performances no-one could begrudge them a final night's early mark.
Emu Heights Theatre Company's modern and cutting play ran from November 7-15.
