Measure for Measure

Alrighty, I'm gonna go out on a limb here. Shakespeare: sure, yes, I accept that he's one of the greatest writers of...ever. But can we be real? Dude was capable of some hacky bullshit now and again. Know what I think the "problem" in his "problem plays" is? They're not very good.


Let's get to it: Measure for Measure demonstrates a superb understanding of human interaction and psychology (most of the time), includes passages of beautiful writing, and has some really fabulous characters. It is also crazy stupid.


Let's try to run through this plot as briefly as possible. The Duke leaves town and puts his friend Angelo in charge. Angelo has Claudio arrested for fornication. Claudio's sister tries to convince Angelo not to execute her brother (was this seriously the punishment for fornication in Vienna, ever?), and he says that he'll agree to let Claudio live if Isabella (who happens to be a nun) will sleep with him. Conveniently, the Duke never left town. Instead, he's roaming the streets dressed as a priest and while completely unwilling to just take off his priest outfit and tell Angelo to go fuck himself (because then the play would be really, really short), he sort of manipulates things behind the scenes until we've had an opportunity to have lots of conversations about justice, compassion, civility, etc. and Shakespeare has had the opportunity to set up one of the most ridiculous denouements I've ever encountered. Exeunt logic, chased by a bear.


I realize that you have to watch shows while keeping in mind when they were written. Things may very well feel cliched or artificial now that obviously weren't that way when the plays were written. Measure for Measure, though, really stretches the boundaries of my ability to just run with it. Key moment: the Duke tells Isabella her brother is dead because he doesn't want to ruin the surprise when said brother arrives alive and well. WTF?! Really, this just allows that final scene to be even more dramatic and left me thinking, "What. A. Dick."


So how do you even stage something like this? It's basically the world's most miserable farce, dripping in self-seriousness until things go fully ridiculous at the end. Well, if you're director David Esbjornson, you pepper the first act with a whole bunch of actors dressed as S&M cats or hookers wearing outfits clearly ripped off from Alexander McQueen (don't forget to see the exhibit at the Met--in its last week!). These whores and demons seem to represent the ugliness of mankind, but try not to think about them too much, because they'll all disappear after intermission once they realize they don't have any idea what they're doing either.


And YET. I kind of really enjoyed myself. I know, I know. Yes, the play is a cockamamie excuse to string together a bunch of conversations on big topics. But those conversations are really fascinating. And much of this cast is really, really good. I was in love with Carson Elrod as Pompey. Not a big part, but he was incredible and provided delightful comic relief. Sign that your comedy is going astray? You need comic relief. Tonya Pinkins in the even smaller part of Mistress Overdone seems to be having a blast hovering way over the top--the only place this character can exist. Making an impression in larger roles, Danai Gurira's Isabella and Michael Hayden's Angelo were the emotional yin and yang to the show. Her accent seemed to be floating all over the place, but her performance was beautifully emotional and involving. And Hayden was a delicious villain, playing the smarminess and hypocrisy of the character simmering at a low heat that made him all the more familiar and disturbing.


The Shakespeare in the Park experience is a delight. You can't argue with free, fully-staged shows with incredible casts. And since they do this every year, sure, they have to cycle through some lesser plays. The city only needs so many Hamlets and Twelfth Nights (seriously--I can't watch another Hamlet for at least five years). Still, while I do agree that Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers of all time, I think it's fair to acknowledge he had some duds. The fact that the Public Theater is doing a production of Titus Andronicus this fall is completely baffling to me. In any case, I did enjoy myself, and there was as much to recommend about the production as there was to mock. I can fairly say nothing about the night bored me. So I'll still call it a win.