Measure for Measure

Reviewed by Terry Morgan
The New American Theatre
Through December 16

Plays taken out of the context of their own times can be troublesome. For instance, modern theatres have struggled to deal with the racist portrayal of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, to the extent that a recent production, Everything That Never Happened, revised the play’s events to relay them from Shylock’s daughter’s point of view. In this era of #MeToo, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure is a tricky proposition — relevant, on the one hand, for its depiction of men in power abusing women, but alarming on the other hand in its resolution of these issues. The New American Theatre’s production of Measure is unfortunately only somewhat successful in navigating these difficulties.

The story is set at an unspecified time in historical Vienna. Duke Vincentio (Patrick Vest), faking a vacation, is instead secretly sticking around in the guise of a monk to see how his replacement Angelo (Daniel Kaemon) performs in his place. It turns out he doesn’t have to wait long to find out. A young man named Claudio (Peter Bonoff) has been arrested for getting his girlfriend pregnant, and Claudio’s sister and novice nun Isabella (Leah Dalrymple) comes to Angelo to beg for her brother’s life. Angelo, who is instantly attracted to Isabella, says he’ll spare her sibling if she’ll have sex with him.

Vest delivers a solid performance as the affable Vincentio, the character around whom all the others orbit, and he’s especially fine in a scene in which he cheerfully sells the prospect of death to a condemned man. Kaemon does strong, intelligent work in depicting how Angelo, a law-abiding man whose cool blood is normally “snowbroth,” flares into unexpected passion and commits evil — but the actor doesn’t clearly illuminate the character’s transformation from sin to repentance. Dalrymple, in her plea for justice, strikes a nice balance between thoughtful morality and fiery argument, and is resonant as a woman valiantly struggling against a corrupt member of the patriarchy.

David Purdham excels as Escalus, the weary voice of reason, while Brendan Brandt is very funny as the hypocritical Lucio. The always reliable Bruno Oliver brings expert comedic craft to the roguish Pompey. Bonoff, however, isn’t completely convincing as Claudio, but his surface performance may well deepen as the production continues. Michael Matthys is overly broad in two comedic roles, Elbow and Barnadine, relying a bit too much on his loud voice, particularly in the former role.

Director Jack Stehlin has been well-respected for decades for his excellent acting and directing, and deservedly so — but he can’t entirely overcome the challenges of this famously problematic play. While he gets great work from most of his ensemble, several of the performances are uneven. The show is visually a bit static, although Stuart Chapin’s boldly colorful paintings of Vienna city structures are charming.

The main issue is that while Measure is intellectually and ethically compelling, its resolution is notably unsatisfying for modern audiences. Angelo’s line that “my false o’erweighs your true” gets gasps of recognition from theatergoers fully aware of the reality of powerful men taking immoral advantage of their positions in society. But Shakespeare’s astonishingly pat ending — in which the malefactor is forgiven and rewarded — is frustrating. It’s mitigated a bit in the last moment of the show when Isabella, presented with yet another dubious offer from a man, looks directly at the audience, her silent stare speaking volumes as it projects to a future of true equality that we’ve yet to achieve.

The New American Theatre, 1312 N. Wilton Pl., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. (check schedule); through Dec. 16. www.NewAmericanTheatre.com. Running time: approximately one hour and 43 minutes, with no intermission.