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If you’re planning on buying Merchant of Venice tickets, then act fast, because it looks like Al Pacino is swapping Venice for France – the Godfather actor is slated to play the role of Henri Matisse, the French artist. Pacino’s sterling performances at the Broadhurst Theatre have been good preparation his his transition to filming the Deepa Mehta-directed “Masterpiece”, the story of the French painter’s relationship with his inspiring nurse, Monique Bourgeois. The film is still being developed, but Pacino is all set to take on the part of the creative modern artist. The astounding success of “Merchant” on Broadway has come as no surprise to those familiar with Pacino’s previous on-screen work, particularly cult classics like Serpico, Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon and The Godfather. He has also appeared in a number of Broadway shows, including Hughie, his Broadway debut Does a Tiger Wear Necktie?, King Richard III and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. The Merchant of Venice schedule will soon be switching to Merchant of Venice Chicago tickets, when the play moves to the Bank Of America Theatre (formerly Lasalle Bank Theatre), in the Windy City.

The story of Matisse is a fascinating one, particularly his relationship with nurse Monique Bourgeois. She was 21 years old when she began working part time for the artist in 1942, while Matisse was already in his 70s. The two lost touch during World War Two but were reunited in 1946, by which time Bourgeois was a Dominican nun. The former nurse asked Matisse to aid in in the design and decoration of a new chapel in Vence, a town near Nice. Matisse indeed helped in the project, which became Chapelle du Rosaire, known as “the Matisse Chapel”. Pacino’s brilliant contribution to the Merchant of Venice will have surely boosted receipts when the movie finally opens, but in the meantime you can buy Merchant of Venice tickets and see him live on the New York stage – but hurry, Shylock won’t be here forever!