A comedy only in the sense that it ends in weddings instead of bodies, Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare's problem plays, dealing in complex issues of justice and mercy, legalism and hypocrisy. It's a personal favorite of mine but seldom performed, so I'm very fortunate that two local theatres are producing it this year. The first of these productions opened last night at Meredith College: a competent, well-performed introduction to the work.
The production made good use of the small theatre's intimacy, intentionally drawing the audience in with pillows lined along the closest seating area and a long carpet spilling off the stage. The minimalist set clearly evoked the place and time without getting bogged down in extensive scene changes. I give designer Jenni Becker special congratulations for crafting such an effective lighting design. Creating playing areas with window and bar gobos ably separated locations without adding an extra piece of furniture.
All the actors are to be congratulated for speaking the text with clarity, allowing the audience to easily fall into the language's rhythm and catch the humor both broad and subtle. I enjoyed Rimsha Afzal's portrayal of the nun Isabella: she captured both the lady's gentleness and power without losing sight of either. I'm not sure whether the three men in the cast deserve more credit for playing so many characters or their wardrobe crew: changes were quick and effective, so that I doubted once whether the doubling had actually occurred. Clothes, mannerisms, and accents all combined to make each character distinct and memorable.
Kathleen Myers had a challenge portraying the Duke, in this production transformed into a female character. The change was mostly effective with a few line tweaks. However, once the Duke hid herself in the guise of a monk Myers's performance was hampered by a cowl that hid her face and hair, making this important character feel too often like a tacked on plot device rather than a vibrant player in the story.
I was occasionally puzzled by choices made in staging and direction. Characters took the farthest downstage corner of the stage to deliver soliloquies, which worked well, but also to share dialogue, which had me craning my neck wishing I could see behind them. Daniel Doyle is well cast as the Lord Angelo, who's moral superiority melts at temptation, and yet I felt like he was held back from giving his all in places: he was overly analytical even when speaking of passion overrunning his reason. His first major scene with Isabella, so important in stoking his lust, was played far upstage, preventing the audience from seeing what he sees in the kneeling woman.
Nevertheless Doyle and Afzal were both captivating to watch, especially when he offered to pardon her jailed brother if she will sleep with him. The scene played like a dance, starting at a steady tempo that crescendoed into an actual fight, shocking for its ferocity in contrast to Angelo's previous primness. His parting salvos, mocking her ability to threaten him, chilled with their aloofness.
Despite a few odd moments I found the production well worth the $10 price of admission, a real bargain for such a good show. If you've never experienced this play I highly encourage you to check it out. Performances run through this Sunday (October 5).
