Here's how the Public bills the Shakespeare classic: "The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most thrilling and controversial plays, rich with love and betrayal, forgiveness and revenge. The Jewish moneylender Shylock makes a loan to Antonio, a Christian merchant. Their loan contract, steeped in prejudice and centered on the play's infamous 'pound of flesh,' sweeps the two men and everyone in their worlds into chaos. Only the insightful Portia can imagine a way forward, but for her and those she loves, even 'the quality of mercy' has its limits."
Director Daniel Sullivan's cast also features Lily Rabe, Jesse L. Martin, Byron Jennings, Gerry Bamman, Matthew Rauch, Richard Topol, Christopher Fitzgerald, Marsha Stephanie Blake, David Harbour, Peter Francis James, Isaiah Johnson, Charles Kimbrough and Seth Numrich.