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Measure for Measure is a difficult play to categorize. Neither comedy nor tragedy, it has both humorous moments and serious themes. The story kicks off with the Duke leaving his city in the care of Lord Angelo, his deputy. His Machiavellian plan is that Angelo will enforce the laws he has let slacken so he doesn’t have to lose his popularity, while he watches in the guise of a friar. When young Claudio is taken up for sleeping with his wife-to-be and sentenced to death, his friend Lucio rushes to fetch Claudio’s sister Isabella from the convent where she’s about to enter the notivate to persuade Angelo to change his mind. And so it goes on, in the convoluted manner of all Shakespeare plots. The play has been stripped down to the bones, which gives it a sense of directness and plenty of pace. The staging was very sparse, which seemed to suit the enclosed setting,
if also a little fragile at times (with only a loose curtain separating
the stage and the wings). The costuming overall was a little haphazard,
and generally plain. (The Duke in particular needed a little more of a
cowl to make his friar’s disguise feel right - it’s hard to
hide your face under a hat!) The best character here was Lucio - the closest
thing to Eddie Izzard you’ll see in a student production. He also
produces an admirable performance as the louche man about town, well-meaning
but slanderous. All the cast slipped extremely naturally into the mannered
exchanges of Shakespeare’s English, putting the sense over clearly.
Olivia Grant (Isabella) produced a very believable performance of a sister
trying desperately to help her brother in any way she could, the sometimes
convoluted phrasing of her appeals seeming natural. Kieran Wanduragala
as Angelo showed how the mighty can be lowered and Micha Lazarus as the
Duke was excellent, determining like a hand behind the curtain that all
things should come right. The entire cast gave good strong performances,
creating what was altogether a very enjoyable production. Jo Charman, 11.03.03 |
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