I saw The Merchant of Venice (Broadway) on 11/18/10. Overall, I'd say it was a 5-star rating. I'd summarize it by saying “Lily Rabe gives the performance of the season. It was a three hour experience I never wanted to end.”

I had a amazing time and left the show feeling stimulated and wowed. I'd describe the show as smart, funny, and well-crafted. The amazing lily rabe as portia was a highlight of the show because she commands the stage so well. If this were a movie, I'd rate it PG-13. I would recommend this show to Shakespeare fans but not to children.

I saw this show because I'm a Shakespeare fan, and like everyone else, I love Al Pacino. I would see it again. I sat in the left mezzanine area of the theater. The view was great and the seats were fine, but lacking legroom.

I consider myself rather Shakespeare savvy, having read most of his works, but seeing this play performed so well was one of the best theatre experiences I've ever had. I thought Dan Sullivan directed it in such a way that made it very accessible to the audience. I have a feeling that most people were going to see Al Pacino, not to experience a great Shakespeare piece, but I really feel that it was so easily understood because it was done so well. The show lasts three hours, but it went by so fast, and I found myself wishing it were longer so they could all just keep acting.

The cast was fantastic. Literally, not a weak-link in the bunch. And that doesn't happen often. Pacino was of course brilliant, and it was such an honor to see someone of his caliber perform live. Pacino is the one drawing people to the show, but I really feel that Lily Rabe is the reason they stay. She gives the best performance I've seen this season, and I've seen a lot. She has such a commanding stage presence, that you can't help but be sucked into whatever she's saying. Even when she wasn't talking, I found myself watching her, just completely drawn in. I think it's safe to say that she'll win the Tony Award, and I'm glad that I can say I saw her before she became crazy famous.

I would love to re-read the play and then go and see this production again, but I don't know if my lotto luck will continue. Please, go and see this production. You won't regret it.