Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare’s less frequently performed plays. It follows the events which unfold in Vienna after Duke Vincentio (Leon Harlow) absents himself, leaving the city in the care of his deputy Angelo (Neil Boyd). Angelo institutes a reign of puritanical terror, harshly enforcing the city’s strict laws against fornication. This results in a man named Claudio (Shane Sibbel) being condemned to death, and his sister Isabella (Sian Robins-Grace) having to plead with the deputy for his life. Angelo, upon seeing Isabella, loosens his strict morals just enough to make her an indecent proposal, and so events unfold.
The play is a complex one, by turns comic and sober, touching upon such grand themes as death, sin, and liberty. The character of the Duke is particularly difficult to deal with – he is on the one hand the benevolent figure who sets everything to rights, and on the other hand the maniacal git who got everybody into this mess to begin with. The play is at the same time a light-hearted romp full of comedy prostitutes, and a serious analysis of the twin dangers of tyranny and anarchy. With a play this complex, it is easy for a production to lose its focus, and sadly that seems to have happened here.
The play lacks cohesion, on all levels. Nobody seems to have been entirely sure what they actually wanted to do with the play. There are a lot of fragments of ideas that crop up, but are not properly followed through – the use of modern pop and rock music to introduce some scenes, for example, implies an intent to make the piece contemporary in feel, but if this was the case it was too sporadic to have any real impact. The costumes are similarly inconsistent. The Duke, when disguised as a friar, wears a medieval looking black habit, whilst constable Elbow wears a nineteenth century policeman’s outfit. The noblemen wear modern suits (although Lucio’s outfit looks distinctly 1970s) while most of the rest of the cast seem almost to be wearing regular street clothes. The set design suffers from a similar problem. Autumn leaves strew the stage for no readily apparent reason. The set consists otherwise of one bench, one chair, and one table, which the crew spend an inordinate amount of time moving.
This directionless quality extends to the performances as well. Nobody is actively bad, but at no point do they really come together, at no point do you really think “ah, now I get what this play is about.” You never really get to grips with who the characters are. Essentially, there’s the constant impression that nobody is entirely sure what they are doing. The only notable exception to this is Sian Robins-Grace as Isabella. She gives a genuinely strong, very naturalistic performance, which stands head and shoulders above the other leading characters.
In short, then, the play makes a lot of strange decisions, none of which seem consistent with one another. Possibly strangest of all, however, is the decision to open after the interval with the Duke, dressed as a monk, sitting in Marianna’s Moated Grange, singing what appears to be a soft rock anthem and accompanying himself on acoustic guitar.
As always, the final question is: should I spend my time and money on this show. Unless you have strong reasons to do otherwise, I would suggest avoiding this one. Oxford student drama is capable of far, far better.
The play is a complex one, by turns comic and sober, touching upon such grand themes as death, sin, and liberty. The character of the Duke is particularly difficult to deal with – he is on the one hand the benevolent figure who sets everything to rights, and on the other hand the maniacal git who got everybody into this mess to begin with. The play is at the same time a light-hearted romp full of comedy prostitutes, and a serious analysis of the twin dangers of tyranny and anarchy. With a play this complex, it is easy for a production to lose its focus, and sadly that seems to have happened here.
The play lacks cohesion, on all levels. Nobody seems to have been entirely sure what they actually wanted to do with the play. There are a lot of fragments of ideas that crop up, but are not properly followed through – the use of modern pop and rock music to introduce some scenes, for example, implies an intent to make the piece contemporary in feel, but if this was the case it was too sporadic to have any real impact. The costumes are similarly inconsistent. The Duke, when disguised as a friar, wears a medieval looking black habit, whilst constable Elbow wears a nineteenth century policeman’s outfit. The noblemen wear modern suits (although Lucio’s outfit looks distinctly 1970s) while most of the rest of the cast seem almost to be wearing regular street clothes. The set design suffers from a similar problem. Autumn leaves strew the stage for no readily apparent reason. The set consists otherwise of one bench, one chair, and one table, which the crew spend an inordinate amount of time moving.
This directionless quality extends to the performances as well. Nobody is actively bad, but at no point do they really come together, at no point do you really think “ah, now I get what this play is about.” You never really get to grips with who the characters are. Essentially, there’s the constant impression that nobody is entirely sure what they are doing. The only notable exception to this is Sian Robins-Grace as Isabella. She gives a genuinely strong, very naturalistic performance, which stands head and shoulders above the other leading characters.
In short, then, the play makes a lot of strange decisions, none of which seem consistent with one another. Possibly strangest of all, however, is the decision to open after the interval with the Duke, dressed as a monk, sitting in Marianna’s Moated Grange, singing what appears to be a soft rock anthem and accompanying himself on acoustic guitar.
As always, the final question is: should I spend my time and money on this show. Unless you have strong reasons to do otherwise, I would suggest avoiding this one. Oxford student drama is capable of far, far better.