MEASURE FOR MEASURE: till 4 November
MEASURE FOR MEASURE: William Shakespeare
RSC: Main House, Stratford
Tkts: 0870 609 1110
Runs: 3h, one interval, in rep till 4 November
Review: Rod Dungate, 2 May 2003-05-05
Struggling justice underpins it all and we understand why
Justice, and struggling justice at that, lies right at the centre of Sean Holmes's production. And whether it's in the Duke, struggling to re-establish it, in the self-congratulatory constable, Elbow, or in the temporary prisoner-of-war camps where prisoners are held, beaten probably tortured, we understand both why justice and the country as a whole are in a mess. This autocracy (for autocracy it is, justice is what the Duke says it is) struggles to recover from the effects of a destabilising war: we take the country to be European and the war the Second World War: the worn-down atmosphere is beautifully captured as citizens try and sell odds and sods from cloths spread on the ground.
Holmes has created a telling setting for his production of this quirky Shakespeare play. We understand these characters, they are painfully real to us, they inhabit a real world. The downside of this is that the closer the characters approach us the dottier the more dotty plotting elements appear and there are quite a few. But what the hell! the up far outdistances the down.
Top of the list must come Emma Fielding's Isabella. This Isabella is no cipher of purity but recognisably flesh and blood. She is contained and her moments confusion and incomprehension around some of the Duke's dubious ideas are both touching and amusing quite a coup.
Paul Higgins takes the Duke on a heart-warming journey. The care and artifice with which he formally speaks his opening lines changes to a wonderful Scots as he disguises himself as the monk. Higgins shows us glimpses of the Duke's lack of confidence in sudden fiery outbursts of temper the Duke never quite has himself under control. As he grows in the play so he engages us more and more confidently leading us through the reconciliations of the fifth act.
Justice (through mercy) are the gifts of the women at the end. The partnership of Fielding and Lisa Stevenson's Mariana raise the emotional level and the conclusion is truly moving.
The relatively recent setting is a great asset to Daniel Evans's Angelo he walks so naturally in an unassuming civil servant's shoes. He looks weedy, his misuse of power to gain Isabella's compliance confirms our expectation of him his attempts to rationalise his actions disgust us. What comes as a great surprise is the simple and genuine apology he makes at the end.
John Lightbody's constable Elbow is both comic and repulsive, Ishia Bennison's Mistress Overdone is, in fact, done exactly to a turn, and the talented pint-sized Simon Trinder pops up as a larger than life (I love the suit) Pompey he's an actor who has the great ability to make it all look so effortless.
The Duke: Paul Higgins
Angelo: Daniel Evans
Escalus: James Hayes
Claudio: Fergus O'Donnell
Lucio: John Lloyd Fillingham
Provost: Keith Osborn
Friar Peter: Toby Dantzic
Varrius: Andrew MacBean
Elbow: John Lightbody
Froth: Tom Anderson
Pompey: Simon Trinder
Abhorson: David Peart
Barnardine: Bill Nash
Angelo's Servant: Nathan Rimell
Gentlemen: Christopher Harvey, Javone Prince
Porter: Rob Wynn
Isabella: Emma Fielding
Mariana: Lisa Stevenson
Juliet: Shereen Ibrahim
Francisca: Esther Ruth Elliott
Mistress Overdone: Ishia Bennison
Lady: Beth Vyse
Director: Sean Holmes
Designer: Anthony Lamble
Lighting: Tim Mitchell
Music: Adrian Lee
Sound : Andrea J Cox
Movement: Michael Ashcroft
Music Director: John Cannon
Voice Work: Jeanette Nelson, Andrew Wade
Assistant Director: Ellie Jones
2003-05-05 10:26:22