Measure for Measure

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

On one of the most breath taking sets The Denver Center Theatre Company has ever produced, designed by G. W. Mercier, emphasized to open mouthed perfection with reflecting lighting designed by Don Darnutzer, Kent Thompson, the new artistic director deliberately chose Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for his directional debut.

Ruth Eglsaer as Isabella, John Hutton as Vincentio, Rachel Fowler as Mariana and Randy Moore as Escalus in the Denver Center Theatre Company production of Measure for Measure. Photo by Terry Shapiro

Smart choice. Wise choice.

Plucking it out of its 17th Century home base, and laying it at the feet of Vienna in the early 1900s, Thompson brings Measure for Measure closer to home. Not close enough to rattle anyone’s teeth, though it could have been. It could have easily cuddled into 2006 America.

This is a play with its universal moral degradation, deceit, arrogant self service, sexual compulsion, lies and betrayal, power corrupted hungry authorities, that could be placed anytime, anywhere in recorded history. Dubbed a problem play, critics have debated Shakespeare’s intent, reasons why, and how come’s because Measure For Measure doesn’t fit the comedy mold the Bard churned out.

Who cares? There is a thought that says tragedy and comedy can’t embrace each other, when in fact, comedy and tragedy are frequently best friends. Comedy often enjoys breaking the ice and putting people at ease with their feelings smack dab in the midst of tragic devastation.

Undoubtedly, the first production of Measure for Measure during Christmas of 1604 in the court of England’s new King, James I, carried a much different flavor than the production currently playing at the Stage Theatre. For people who have run away screaming from the thought of Shakespeare, Thompson, before our eyes, molded a top flight cast into brilliant clarity of Shakespeare that could be and should be. So well-defined are the characters, so natural is the poetic cadence of the speech, one can almost forget one is watching Shakespeare. The name doesn’t stand in the way of the story, filled with maddening humor, hysterical lines, intriguing twists, and demanding thoughtfulness. This production grips the mind, pleases the heart, allowing laughter to roll.

John Hutton engulfs the role of Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna. Some critics claim the Duke is a coward and sets his Deputy, Angelo (Brent Harris) to do what he doesn’t have the courage to do. Perhaps. Hutton does not present the Duke with a cowardly lion face. It is the face of testing, the face of wanting to know truth, the face of curiosity, the face of wanting to get to the bottom of hidden motives, and under the table agendas.

Feigning a trip, he turns his authority over to Angelo, then clocked as a monk silently stands by observing. If Harris’ Angelo was a classic oil painting, he’d have every mixture of every conceivable color carefully chartered and splashed onto the canvas revealing every conniving emotion, upside down thought, and tangled human endeavor. Angelo a likeable, charmer disguises wicked intent with a crooked smile and power-clutched hand.

Wasting no time, Angelo has Claudio, a young gentleman, arrested for indulging in sexual intimacy with his betrothed, Juliet, who carries his child. The penalty is death. That’s the law. Stafford Clark-Price as a kind, considerate, humble man. Eileen Little gives us a sad but proud lady who carries her child with gratitude.

When Claudio’s sister, Isabella, prepared to enter a cloister, hears of her brother’s predicament, she makes plans to intercede for Claudio before Angelo. Ruth Eglsaer embraces the heart and soul of an innocent young girl who carries more moral fiber within her slight frame than anyone else in the play. Struck by her innocence and beauty, with a smirk on his arrogant face, Angelo decrees he can have his cake and eat it too. With his moral authority tucked neatly under his arm, he listens to Isabella, through his drool rather than his ears. If she will spend the night with him, he will indeed release Claudio. Unprepared for her strength and courage, this brave sweet young lady attacks him where it hurts most for Angelo, his ego.

Bill Christ breaks up the cloistered moral debacle as Elbow, a simple constable with fine-tuned humorous antics along with Froth, a foolish gentleman played by Karl Hanover. They both know comedy when they see it, giving it their utmost attention.

In outrageous dress and overly pronounced make-up Kathleen Brady takes Mistress Overdone, a bawd, for a high gaited walk in the park in between business ventures. Brady lights up the stage no matter what she wears or pretends to be. If only for a second on stage Brady knows how not to let anyone forget her. It’s impossible to forget Mistress Overdone.

The Provost schemes on his own terms, quietly playing his cards, knowing which ones to hide, which ones to throw away, which ones to disguise. Mark Rubald makes him cunning, real and delectable.

And then there’s the clown, Pompey who fits into the mesh shining a brilliant light on chaotic proceedings.

Nothing goes unnoticed by the Duke, who lurking in the shadows has a tendency to steal scenes because his listening is so intent. Hutton makes one question what the Duke is thinking, what he’s scheming, and how he will manage his own upside down world of decadent musing. Even though shadowed from the light, the Duke’s body language speaks volumes.

In a maybe too simple ending, Shakespeare makes certain everyone gets what they deserve: Claudio is spared execution, he and Juliet are allowed to marry, Angelo is forced to marry his Mariana (Rachel Fowler), and the Duke proposes to Isabella who leaves the Duke and the audience dangling as the house lights come up, and the play is over.

Thought-provoking, more fun than a bowl of monkeys, one can experience Measure for Measure parenthetically wrapped in multi-dimensional discussions of every nuance Shakespeare projects, or doesn’t as the case may be. Or one can just go, and experience a beautifully crafted play with ingenious direction, an exquisite cast, on a mind-boggling beautiful set and have the time of their lives enjoying the raucous tumultuous behavior, mentally interacting with the fine tuned characters either with ironic empathy, or cross bowed sympathy. One does not need to be a Shakespearean scholar to enjoy this production of Measure for Measure. Thompson has seen to that.