''Shylock'' is a musical based on Shakespeare's ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', adapted and composed by Ed Dixon debuted at the

York Theatre York Theatre is an off-Broadway theatre company based in East Midtown Manhattan, New York City. In its 50th year, York Theatre is dedicated to the production of new musicals and concert productions of forgotten musicals from the past. Each seas ...

in 1987 with Dixon in the title role. The performance garnered him a Drama Desk nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. The cast included Lisa Vroman, Charles Pistone,

Dennis Parlato Dennis Parlato (born March 30, 1947 in Los Angeles) is an American dancer, actor, and singer. Early life and education He is the son of Charlie Parlato, and the uncle of Grammy-nominated jazz singer Gretchen Parlato. Parlato taught high school ...

, Ann Brown and Joel Fredricks. Kathline Rubbico was musical director with sets and costumes by James Morgan and lighting by Marcia Madeira.

Lloyd Battista Lloyd McAteer Battista (born May 14, 1937, in Cleveland, Ohio) is a retired American actor and screenwriter. Biography Battista studied acting at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He was active on Broadway and off-Broadway stages, appearing ...

was the director. According to Dixon, ''Shylock'' was an attempt to sympathetically explain the motivations of the eponymous character.

References

1987 musicals Plays and musicals based on works by William Shakespeare Works based on The Merchant of Venice Off-Broadway musicals {{musical-theat-stub