FOLLOWING his visit to Perth last year to play all 69 roles in Under Milk Wood, Olivier Award-winning actor Guy Masterson – the great-nephew of Richard Burton – is making a return in another multi-award-winning solo play.

Shylock is about Shakespeare’s most controversial character in The Merchant of Venice, one of only two Jewish men in all of the Bard’s works.

“At the time Shakespeare wrote the play, Jews were popularly depicted as comic villains and, on the surface, Shylock is no different,” Masterson said.

“But Shakespeare humanises Shylock and gives him very good reason to be a revengeful villain.

“What makes him such a controversial character is that he demands a pound of flesh in repayment for an unpaid debt and, in doing so, effectively demands the life of Antonio, the merchant in the title.

“Because of this background, The Merchant of Venice has often been described as an anti-Semitic play – Shylock questions this and contextualises the history surrounding Jews and Jews on stage.

“In doing so, the play becomes a powerfully dramatic historical documentary.”

Masterson is a British actor, director, producer and writer who spent time in Hollywood in the late ‘80s before returning to the UK and becoming something of a legend at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Over 21 consecutive seasons, his company Theatre Tours International has become Edinburgh Fringe’s most highly-awarded and nominated independent theatre producer, which has included an Olivier Award for best entertainment.

The seed for Shylock germinated in 1997 when playwright Gareth Armstrong was playing the role in a production of The Merchant of Venice at the Salisbury Playhouse in the UK.

“The play is the result of all the research he did while trying to understand the character,” Masterson said.

“Gareth approached me to present the play at the Edinburgh Fringe and the production was an award-winning success, so I went went on to tour with Gareth for the next eight years.

“I took over performing it in 2011, directed by Gareth himself this time, and I have since given nearly 250 performances of the play.”

Focus and precision are key elements in making multi-character solo plays such as Shylock work, according to Masterson.

“The audience has to be very clear as to whom I am portraying at any given moment so the action and narrative is clear,” he said.

“The play itself has been honed to a razor-sharp edge over the years and it is my job to be precise.

“It’s not in my remit to add or detract from it, merely deliver it, as is, with accuracy and commitment – as they say: ‘The play’s the thing’.”

Shylock plays at the All Saints’ College Centre for Performing Arts at 7.15pm February 9 – tickets are $30, $25 concession. A question-and-answer session will be held beforehand at 6.30pm. Book at www.trybooking.com/233998.

All Saints’ College is on Ewing Avenue, Bull Creek.