In my production, I would stick to the original time and place. The part of Antonio would be portrayed by a man so frustrated and angry because he is unable to reveal his true feelings for Bassanio that he is hateful to others, especially Shylock. The part of Shylock would be portrayed as a simple business man, trying to make a living, wanting nothing more than to be treated equal and respected as a human being. A man pushed to his wits end and fed up with being a victim of racism and hatred. Portia would be portrayed as a devious woman who likes to play mind games. I would add a couple of twists to my production. When Portia asks for the ring, Bassanio would see through her disguise, but not let on. To teach her a lesson, he would tell her he couldn't give up the ring because he had promised it to a girl he had met in the bar earlier that day. He would go on to say that he had been with men in the past and he was not against giving out sexual favors to show his gratitude. He would let this be a lesson to her that he would not put up with her mind games. The biggest twist would be that Shylock would see the court ruling as the straw that broke the camel's back. Instead of converting to Christianity, he would flee the country, but before doing so, he would have his revenge. He would sneak into Antonio's window and have his pound of flesh, cutting out Antonio's tongue so he could not speak ill of him and cutting out his eyes, so he would never look at a man with such disdain again. Before taking his leave, he would fit his ignorant head with a little Jewish hat, to ad a little irony.