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Indepth Arts News:
"THE JEW OF MALTA"
1999-11-04 until 1999-11-13
Musical Theater Works Black Box Theatre
New York, NY,
USA United States of America
Is it man s nature to be predominately evil, blinded by hate and rageNULL
Christopher Marlowe says Yes. Still thought-providing, THE JEW OF MALTA
was one of the most controversial -- and popular -- plays of its day when
first staged at the turn of the 17th Century. Painting a dark picture of
man s inhumanity to his fellow man, a trait that has all-too-often resurfaced
throughout history. And if thatís not enough, the play also deals with
slavery, the willful murder of a child, religious persecution and deaths by
stabbings, boiling and poison. All this intrigue can be seen with The
Marlowe Project s production of this work - presented at Musical Theater
Works starting on Thursday, November 4th.
The plot centers around Barabas, a wealthy Jewish merchant on the island of
Malta. Persecuted because of his religion and betrayed by those closest to
him, Barabas embarks on a calculated scheme of revenge, turning one rival
against another and destroying numerous innocents in the process. When the
dust clears and the bodies of his victims are strewn about, Barabas finds he
has indeed triumphed over his enemies - including his own daughter. But in
doing so, he makes a serious mistake. Alone and friendless, surrounded by
people he cannot trust, yet holding great power over all of them, Barabas is
forced to enlist one he has betrayed in order to claim a final victory. But
in forging that alliance, he plants the seeds of his own downfall. While
this may seem complicated, it makes for great theatre!
Now in its fourth year, The Marlowe Project was formed with the intention of
performing all of Christopher Marlowes plays, as well as other great works
of early English drama. So far, the group has presented Tamburlaine the
Great, Part 1, Doctor Faustus, the American premiere of Massacre at Paris, as
well as The Second Shepherd's Play (a medieval English work).
Directed by The Marlowe Projectís Artistic Director Jeff Dailey, THE JEW OF
MALTA features Bart Shattuck as Barabas, The Jew of the title; Dana Gottlieb
as his ill-fated daughter, Abigail; and Travis Taylor as Ithamore, the
Turkish slave who assists Barabas in his revenge-driven schemes.
The show runs November 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th and 13th, Thursday-Saturday
at 8pm, at Musical Theater Works Black Box Theatre on the 4th Floor at 440
Lafayette Street in Manhattan. Musical Theater Works is located across the
street from the Joseph Papp Public Theatre; across the street from the Astor
Place Station on the #6 train and one block east from the 8th street station
on the N or R lines. Tickets are $15.00. For reservations contact: The
Marlowe Project at 212-465-7428. Those wanting press information should call
212-242-1648.
And remember, a dead shark in a tank simply cannot compare to a roomful of
dead nuns!!!
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