For actor Saul Rubinek, the stage has always been a place to connect and to challenge. Now, in his latest role, he\u2019s doing both.<\/p>\n
Rubinek stars in \u201cPlaying Shylock,\u201d a new play making its New York premiere at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center, home of Theatre for a New Audience in Fort Greene.<\/p>\n
Written by Mark Leiren-Young and directed by Martin Kinch, the production follows a version of Rubinek himself, who addresses an audience after a performance of Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cThe Merchant of Venice\u201d is canceled mid-show amid public outcry over antisemitism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying Shylock\u201d is making its New York premiere at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
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The play stars veteran actor Saul Rubinek as a version of himself, addressing a canceled performance of “The Merchant of Venice”
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Written by Mark Leiren-Young and directed by Martin Kinch, the production explores themes of antisemitism, identity and artistic freedom
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The show runs through Dec. 7, with tickets available at playingshylock.com<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis play? This play with what\u2019s happening in the city right now, where you can\u2019t go into a synagogue without passing armed guards, the real danger of well-being is Merchant of Venice, oh, oh okay,\u201d Rubinek says during the play, addressing the audience directly.<\/p>\n
Like his character, Rubinek was born in a post-World War II refugee camp in Germany, where his father ran a Yiddish repertory theater company.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am in reality the child of Holocaust survivors. Why would the child of Holocaust survivors be doing an antisemitic play called \u2018The Merchant of Venice?\u2019 So the premise of this play is me explaining to the audience, this play should not have been cancelled, it\u2019s not fair,\u201d Rubinek said.<\/p>\n
The production arrives in Brooklyn following a successful extended run in Canada. For Rubinek, whose seven-decade career spans roles in \u201cFrasier,\u201d \u201cStar Trek: The Next Generation,\u201d \u201cHunters,\u201d \u201cThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,\u201d \u201cWall Street,\u201d \u201cTrue Romance\u201d and \u201cUnforgiven,\u201d returning to the stage feels like coming home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the kind of guy people go, \u2018I know you from somewhere,\u2019\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s hoping audiences will remember something else: the power of art to start difficult conversations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI doubt that there\u2019s more than two plays in all of New York where the word antisemitism is uttered at all. At all. Why, why? What are theatres afraid of?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n