The Merchant (play) would make a big profit, but this did not happen. He wrote a book about the play in 1999, "The Birth of Shylock and the Death of Zero Mostel". In this play, Shylock is a good man and Antonio's, the title character in Shakespeare's play, good friend. They bond in their love of knowledge and mutual dislike of the antisemitism in their community. Shylock's demand for a pound of flesh is meant as a jest, but he can not retract it. Both Shylock and Antonio are relieved when the demand is denied in court. Reviewing "The Merchant", critic Michael Billington
The Hobart Shakespeareans Hobart Shakespeareans "one of the great Shakespeare troupes" in Los Angeles. Rafe and the Hobart Shakespeareans work every year to perform a Shakespeare play. The recent plays they have performed were "As You Like It" and "The Merchant of Venice". "The Hobart Shakespeareans" aired on PBS' "P.O.V." series in 2005. It was produced and directed by Mel Stuart. The Hobart Shakespeareans The Hobart Shakespeareans of Hobart Boulevard Elementary School is a 2005 documentary film that tells the story of the inspirational inner-city Los Angeles school teacher Rafe Esquith whose rigorous fifth-grade curriculum includes English, mathematics, geography, and literature. The pinnacle