Al Pacino stages West End return

Al Pacino is set to make his first London stage appearance in more than 25 years when he crosses the Atlantic with The Merchant of Venice.

The Oscar-winning actor, 70, is currently playing Shylock on Broadway to commercial and critical acclaim.

This week The Merchant of Venice extended its run in New York until late February. The Broadway production followed its original incarnation last summer, where it was performed outdoors in Central Park.

A group of prominent British producers, headed by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, is now seeking to stage The Merchant of Venice in the West End following its New York run.

For that to happen Pacino needs to be persuaded of the merits of a London stint and a source at the Public Theater, which is staging the production, said the signs are that he is close to a formal agreement. "It was up in the air for a while whether Al Pacino would agree to transfer but it now seems he wants to do it," he said.

"We're hopeful that following the extension, Al and most of the cast will be in London in the second half of 2011. There's a degree of apprehension how any American production of a Shakespeare play will be greeted in London. But this is a classical production and we think it will work well."

Pacino, who is best known for his acting in The Godfather trilogy and Scarface, last appeared on the London stage in 1984 in David Mamet's play American Buffalo at the Duke of York's Theatre. With the exception of Vanessa Redgrave in the revival of Driving Miss Daisy, The Merchant of Venice, directed by Daniel Sullivan, is the only successful play presently on Broadway in what has been a brutal winter season for straight drama.

It is playing to 100 per cent capacity and has had rapturous reviews. Ben Brantley, the influential New York Times critic, wrote: "This production gives the lie to theatre snobs who insist that only the British can do Shakespeare properly," adding that Pacino and his co-star Lily Rabe, who plays Portia, give "the performances of the season".

The Hollywood Reporter called it an "uncommonly satisfying production of one of Shakespeare's more difficult plays." A separate production of The Merchant of Venice, starring Patrick Stewart as Shylock, is reportedly being staged at the Royal Shakespeare Company in May. He first tackled the role for the RSC in 1978.