A GROUND-breaking one man show which examines one of William Shakespeare's most infamous characters by mixing tragedy and comedy comes to the Artrix in Bromsgrove this Saturday.

In The Merchant of Venice miser Shylock is a money grabbing, tight fisted, scheming Jew, who plays the villain of the piece. He's a monster who seems to prefer diamonds over his daughters.

Writer and actor Gareth Armstrong takes a different view of the villainous character in his show, which is called Shylock.

Over the years famous actors, most recently Al Pacino in a film version of the play, have taken on one of the Bard's most challenging roles and have produced countless different interpretations of the character.

Armstrong comes at the problem of how to portray Shylock from a different angle by playing the villain's only ally from The Merchant of Venice, Tubal. Using this angle he looks at how personalities and historic events have changed the perception of Shylock.

The performer conjures up the Bard, passions and prejudice in Shylock's turbulent 400 year life span. From Pontius Pilate to Adolf Hitler, Dracula and the image of Wandering Jew used by the Nazi propaganda machine, no stone is left unturned in order to get to the bottom of what Shylock is really about.

Armstrong has enjoyed a long and successful career on the stage. He played Shylock at Salisbury Playhouse and has directed several touring plays. He has also featured in West End shows Dirty Linen and A Murder is Announced.

He also founded the Made in Wales Stage Company and was artistic director at Cardiff's Sherman Theatre.

Tickets for Shylock cost £10 and can be bought by calling the Artrix's box office on 01527 577330.