VIDEO: On This Day, June 30 - Al Pacino Stars In THE MERCHANT OF VENICE On Broadway

On this day in 2010, Al Pacino returned to Broadway as the title character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice,

The Public Theater, with Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel produced the production, starring Al Pacino as Shylock and Lily Rabe as Portia at the Broadhurst Theatre.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE is one of Shakespeare's most thrilling and controversial plays, rich with love and betrayal, forgiveness and revenge.

The Jewish moneylender Shylock makes a loan to Antonio, a Christian merchant. Their loan contract, steeped in prejudice and centered on the play's infamous "pound of flesh," sweeps the two men and everyone in their worlds into chaos. Only the insightful Portia can imagine a way forward, but for her and those she loves, even "the quality of mercy" has its limits.