After a hugely successful debut with Othello last February, director Arin Arbus returns to Theater for a New Audience with another Shakespearian offering in the form of Measure for Measure, Shakespeare’s quintessential problem play. The story of a society dealing with extremism, puritanical religious views clashing with the reality of a sexually explicit society, the plot should pose little problem for contemporary audiences. However, we often have trouble coming to terms with the theme of chastity on which the story so desperately hinges. Despite powerful staging and strong performances from the cast, Arbus’ production fails to clear that common hurdle and, at times, the production doesn’t ring true.
When handsome Claudio (LeRoy McClain) is sentenced to death for impregnating his girlfriend, his sister Isabella (Elizabeth Waterston), about to take vows of chastity, arrives to plead for his life to Lord Angelo (Rocco Sisto), prompting stirrings of a sexual nature in the conservative Lord. Isabella then must decide whether she will accede to Angelo’s offer to save her brother by giving up her chastity. The fate of the play then, rests on the ability of an audience to suspend their disbelief sufficiently to let this premise slide. In 2010, when any taboo around pre-marital sex has been put into question, it is difficult for us to imagine choosing chastity over the life of a family member. Inherently a play about mercy, the text is not kind to the character of Isabella when read in a contemporary Western context and thus special measures must be taken to ensure that we are led into a world where chastity is valued above all else.
With so many strong characters, it falls to any director of Measure for Measure to decide to whom the play belongs. Arbus’s biggest mistake is in privileging the character of the Duke (Jefferson Mays) to the neglect of Isabella. By relegating her to a supporting space and failing to explore the inherent contradictions and complexities of her character, Arbus leaves Elizabeth Waterston to flounder in two-dimensionality. Harping on about her brother in shrill and self-righteous tones, Waterston does not bring sufficient tenderness or warmth to the character to elicit the necessary sympathy. Isabella’s religious convictions look prudish and plainly offensive against a backdrop of modern classicism- contemporary dress and manners suggestive of the modern day- and once the audience has lost their faith in her, the whole story begins to droop like wet pizza.
If we are able to look beyond the failure of the production to solve the problem of one of Shakespeare’s most problematic scripts however, there are plenty theatrical tid-bits and sensory sweetbreads to enjoy. Helmed by a comically apt Jefferson Mays, and presided over by the great Rocco Sisto, the production moves at a smooth and steady pace, flitting effortlessly between moments of humour and terror. Sisto brings a quality of stillness to the role of Angelo, looming over proceedings like a pale and chiselled statue. His scenes punctuate the action like timely signals of impending disaster. Rendered real by the fantastic Sisto, the audience recoils as he grabs Isabella by the crotch and hisses into her ear like an animal, and yet at the close of the play, we somehow still pity him.
Arbus is skilled and quick at transforming the stage space, a huge requirement of the text, as the action moves between a number of locations. Peter Ksander’s multi-level set provides a nook or cranny for every a scene shift: Angelo’s office changes to a brothel with a subtle change of lighting and the introduction of a vague thump of ambient music. A supporting cast of Alfredo Narciso (Lucio) and John Keating (Pompey), the latter styled in a limp afro and pointed snake skin shoes, provides welcome comic interludes, anchoring the action and infusing the narrative with a sense of perspective. Only occasionally are the comedic moments allowed to overshadow the dramatic action and the delicate balance of tragedy and comedy lost.