Measure for Measure Archives - North West End UK

Measure for Measure – Royal Shakespeare Company

24Sep

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Measure for Measure – Royal Shakespeare Company

Much like its persecuted and prosecuted heroine, this production of Measure for Measure has a lot to prove. Director Emily Burns draws some tight parallels between the scenarios of Shakespeare’s Vienna and the present-day political scene but keeps the play well within the lines of conventional adaptation. That this script lends itself so well to the current moment is more depressing than exciting, and this production does not shy away from, but rather leans into, this discomfort. Distressingly relevant and enduringly painful, this problem play doesn’t offer much in the way of solutions. Photo: Helen Murray Standout performances from Emily Benjamin as Mariana, Douggie McMeekin as Lucio, and Oli Higginson as Claudio only heighten the sense of unease that pervades the play space. Benjam...

Measure for Measure – Shakespeare North Playhouse

So, how to approach Shakespeare’s plays at time when his work is easily accessible, in written or recorded format, and when every word and nuance has been studied in depth? How to reproduce the spontaneity, the freshness of experiencing the play as if it were for the first time? The answer, according to Shake-Scene Shakespeare, is to use cue-based performance. Originally, rather than each actor having a copy of the entire play, they had only their own part and their cues, plus any direction of when to enter or leave. Reproducing this technique means actors and audience ‘discover’ the play at the same time. Does it work? Based on this production of Measure for Measure, yes. Absolutely. Briefly, the Duke of Vienna (Eugenia Lowe) has allowed the city to become corrupt, so pretends to g...

Measure for Measure – Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare's Globe opens its winter season with a lively production of the bard’s more intriguing plays, Measure for Measure. Referred to as one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays’ for its ambiguous tone, the play may easily be described as a farce, a comedy or even a drama. It touches upon a vast multitude of themes, from the role of government in controlling individual liberty to the damning negotiation between morality and societal status. Director Blance McIntyre seeks to bring out and contextualise these threads to modern society by setting the play in mid-1970s Britain, where the state finds itself (and its powers) increasingly at odds with what the citizens desire. With a tight-knit performance by the experienced ensemble, a cross-casting of different characters and an intimate enviro...