The Merchant of Venice, Starring Al Pacino and Lily Rabe, Extends on Broadway

The Merchant of Venice, led by Al Pacino as Jewish moneylender Shylock and Lily Rabe as heiress Portia, has announced it will extend its Broadway run. Originally scheduled to close January 9, 2011, Merchant will instead begin a three-week hiatus on that date to allow Pacino to honor a previously scheduled film commitment, and will resume performances on February 1 for three additional weeks. The show will now play its final performance on February 20.

The Pacino-led, Daniel Sullivan-helmed Merchant of Venice began life in June 2010 at Central Park's Delacorte Theatre as part of the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park series before transferring to Broadway’s Broadhurst Theater, where it opened on November 7. A London transfer of the production is rumored to be in the works, though no theater or dates have been announced.