The Merchant of Venice which Shakespeare was likely familiar. (Auden sees the theme of usury in the play as a comment on human relations in a mercantile society.) Other interpreters of the play regard Auden's conception of Antonio's sexual desire for Bassanio as questionable. Michael Radford, director of the 2004 film version starring Al Pacino, explained that, although the film contains a scene where Antonio and Bassanio actually kiss, the friendship between the two is platonic, in line with the prevailing view of male friendship at the time. Jeremy Irons, in an interview, concurs with the director's view and states that he did not
On the Razzle (play) On the Razzle (play) On the Razzle is a play by Tom Stoppard. It is an adaptation of the Viennese play "Einen Jux will er sich machen" by Johann Nestroy, which had been adapted twice by Thornton Wilder. The first 1938 version, entitled "The Merchant of Yonkers", was faithful to the original material, but the second 1955 version, renamed "The Matchmaker", expanded the previously secondary role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, who later became the heroine of the Jerry Herman musical hit, "Hello, Dolly!". Stoppard's adaptation eliminates the Dolly character. The play's title is a euphemism often used by the British