EDFRINGE REVIEW: A Pound of Flesh (Arbery Theatre)

A Pound of Flesh - ★★★☆☆ - Unjustified

theSpace on the Mile (Venue 29): Fri 1 – Sat 23 Aug 2025
Review by Rebecca Mahar

Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 18 August 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin.

Arbery Theatre brings A Pound of Flesh, a reimagining of a Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, to theSpace on the Mile for a full run of the Fringe in a production that asks: What if Portia never came to Venice?

The Merchant of Venice hinges its resolution on Portia’s coming to Venice, making this an intriguing question to ask. But far from simply imagining an alternate ending in which Shylock might get his bond, A Pound of Flesh seeks to reframe the entire story to centre on the relationship between its titular merchant, Antonio, and his dear friend Bassanio.

This is an interesting choice, full of promise, but loses something in its pursuit: in “reimagining” this already tragic play as a tragedy, playwright Martin Foreman has tragically lost sight of what makes the original story work, robbing his adaptation of its potential.

Gabriel Bird as Antonio, Ollie Hiemann as Bassanio and Danielle Farrow as Shylock in A Pound of Flesh. Pic: Martin Foreman.

Visit All Edinburgh Theatre to read the full review!

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