Not quite the full measure
Measure For Measure, by William Shakespeare, directed for FOPS by Aaron Mclean, The Dark Room, Palmerston North, August 7-11. Reviewed by
There are shades of #Me Too in this Shakespearean comedy from the early 1600s.
A young convent novice finds herself pressured into having sex with an older powerful man. This pressure is applied not to further her career, but to save her teenage brother from execution.
Although outwardly devout and a stickler for the letter of the law, Angelo, the stand-in Duke of Vienna, wants to have his wicked way with the lovely Isabella.
Angelo uses his position as legal arbiter to manipulate Isabella into bed, with the life of her imprisoned brother Claudio as the bargaining chip.
Claudio’s crime is that he loved Juliet a little too earnestly. Unfortunately, the couple are not yet married. Juliet conceives and the punishment for Claudio’s out-of-wedlock passion is death.
However, Vincentio, the rightful duke, hasn’t tootled off on a diplomatic mission as he said, but has stayed in town to check out how the ‘‘virtuous’’ Angelo handles power.
Disguised as Friar Lodowick, Vincentio sets out to save Claudio, rescue Isabella, expose Angelo’s hypocrisy and have some fun while about it.
A fluent and artful Paul Lyons revels in this role and carries the play, complete with knowing audience asides.
Nyah Toomey, who as Isabella revisits Portia’s ‘‘quality of mercy’’ speech from
The Merchant of Venice, brings a demure sensitivity to the role.
Liam Robson’s Angelo has a large presence on the small stage and doesn’t need to be quite so loud when a more subtle approach would be more effective.
There are nice touches from Cam Dickons as Lucio, and Rosheen Leslie as barman Pompey Bum.
On a minimalist set, with intriguing black and white friesian cow-themed costuming, it’s an uneven production. It was, at times, difficult to hear. Better diction by the young cast members would add to this ‘‘winter Shakespeare’’ experience.