STAGE

It was announced Monday that Dustin Hoffman will appear on the London stage in May playing Shylock in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice.” Hoffman’s stage turn--scheduled for a late May opening and a 12-week run at an undisclosed West End theater--will be the actor’s first stage work since his much-acclaimed 1984 Broadway run as Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman.” Sir Peter Hall, former director of London’s National Theater, will direct the production. And the paycheck? A reported $3,700 a week, but not so much when compared to Hoffman’s usual $5 million-per-film price tag.