The Merchant of Venice is a comedy about the blithely diffused struggle between Usury and Friendship, Revenge and Forgiveness, Disharmony and Harmony. (...) Fairy tale, dark comedy, moral parable or comedy dell'arte? The raw material gathered unconsciously within Shakespeare, only the stage master who intertwines the situations presented is conscious. But the craftsman is also a poet, and the enchanted raw material reflects the fullness of life, even when he does not want us to take it too seriously.

László Cs. Szabó: Velencei uzsora, belmonti muzsika /Venetian usury, belmontian music
 

The show takes place in the cold world of modern technology, where, in contrast, passions run high. Passions that point, first of all, toward narcissism and selfishness. At the same time, these characters are also prisoners of certain aspects of their own lives.

Nobody chooses to give up everything, or to say he or she is not interested in money. They all act according to their own interest, everything being manipulated by a complex network of interests and alliances. Of course, each character bears strong, sincere emotions; there is sex, love, eroticism. But the characters do not decide based on these. They only temporarily believe these things to be more important. Selfishness and self-interest interfere in all decisions reached. If we reflect on this idea, we can create a terribly cruel theatre. Of course, with elements of comedy, with comic situations, but essentially a greedy, cruel chase after “immortality”, survival or happiness.

Gábor Tompa