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Angelo (Jeremy Drakes) and Isabella (Lucy Le Messurier) |
Morality and a sinful act
REVIEW: MEASURE FOR MEASURE
Courtyard Theatre
KNOWN as one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays”, Measure for Measure sets out to explore specific moral dilemmas and social problems through its central characters.
Written in 1604, it focuses on the rise of radical Puritanism during the 17th century and its reformation of manners and “sinful” social conduct.
Set in Vienna, where social laws have become lax, the Duke appoints his puritanical deputy Angelo to take charge of the city.
Angelo rigorously enforces strict moral and social laws, during which he condemns young nobleman Claudio to death for making his fiancée Juliet pregnant.
But when Isabella, a novice nun, comes to plead for her brother Claudio’s life, Angelo is smitten and offers her a “monstrous bargain”, a pardon for her brother in return for her virginity.
The play shifts violently between dark, psychological drama and more straightforward comic material. Michael Bagwell (Elbow) and Nicholas Waters (Pompey) convey the humorous side particularly well, acting out a dialectic tussle between a simple, self-important constable and a bolshie, cockney troublemaker who manages to make iambic pentameter sound like rap.
On the darker side of this comedy, scenes between Angelo (Jeremy Drakes) and Isabella (Lucy Le Messurier) portray the themes of abuse, hypocrisy and foul mistreatment with skill and tangible emotion.
The acting, costumes and intimate atmosphere of the theatre made it a success; however, the set design – a paint-splattered, cheap mock-up house front – seemed slightly at odds with an otherwise fine production.
Until November 23
0870 163 0717 |
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