Last night Fred, a brand new theatew company staged a preview of The Merchant of Venice @ A E Harris. There were strong performances and good, restrained use of three different playing spaces in the venue. My only other experience of the play was as a teenager, when I recall being shocked and dispirited that the play didn’t end when the whole – Shylock / Pound of Flesh – situation is resolved and that there was still another act to sit through. Here the action zips along and the comic elements of the play are to the fore, making it an enjoyable evening.