Fornication Under Consent of King: Measure for Measure
Written by William Shakespeare
Presented by Mustard Seed Theatre
Those of you who know me in my capacity as a bookie may recall that back in September, I gave 18-1 odds that no play in the 2007-2008 theater season would have a song by Saul Williams, feature Sarah Cannon doing a karaoke version of “Desperado” and cast Terry Meadows as a hoodie-wearing pimp. It is with some regret that I report on Mustard Seed Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” which stands to make me several dollars poorer.
Perhaps our political officials should brush up their Shakespeare. Maybe if Elliot Spitzer and Marion Berry had been more familiar with “Measure for Measure,” they would not have gotten into the predicaments that they did. In “Measure for Measure” we have one of Shakespeare’s more loathsome villains, Angelo, a hard line judge that makes John Ashcroft look like William Kunstler. When the Duke of Vienna leaves him to act in his stead, Angelo is determined to enforce the letter of the law, even if it means imposing the death penalty for unlawful carnal knowledge. Angelo seeks to make an example out of Claudio by executing him for impregnating his fiancée before they were legally married. But when Claudio’s sister Isabella, who happens to be a nun, begs Angelo to pardon her brother, he makes her an indecent proposal: her virginity in exchange for her brother’s life. It’s good to be king. Hell, it’s good even to be the acting duke.
Deanna Jent is one of the best directors in town. This year she was nominated three times in the Best Director category at the Kevin Kline Awards, but lost, one might assume, after splitting the vote between herself. She brings focus and clarity to this play and its modern setting. One of the themes that comes through clearly is the juxtaposition between sins on the streets and sins in the halls of power. Denis C. Seyer’s two level set draws a clear line between the casual decadence of the dirty city and the depravity that takes place in Angelo’s sterile office.
Jim Butz, one of our finest young actors, gives a commanding performance that humanizes Angelo without making him sympathetic. He doesn’t play Angelo as a villain, but simply as a complex and flawed man. His razor sharp diction is more than appreciated by those of us who are slightly Shakespeare impaired. He is matched by Jennifer Therby, whose emotionally powerful performance as Isabella is the soul of the play. There are more of my favorite actors on one stage than I can properly discuss, the aforementioned Sarah Cannon and Terry Meadows, Jason Cannon as the Duke, Richard Lewis, Donna Weinsting, and the always wonderful Nancy Lewis who’s so sweet but so stern as Escalus.
The modern trappings that are graphed onto the play fit with various degrees of success. A melancholy scene in a karaoke bar is entertaining and gives Seyer a chance to design the show’s only real set change. TV monitors used to display “Overdone TV” and E Network/MTV hybrid hosted by brothel owner Mistress Overdone, seemed odd and didn’t add enough to the show to justify itself. I’m not sure if there is an antecedent for this in Shakespeare’s original text, nor can I recall any working madams with their own cable channels. It did make me wonder what Heidi Fleiss could have done with the Lifetime Network. Jane Sullivan and Marilyn Brooking’s costume designs for the street people were a bit over the top, lacking even the subtly of the more fashion forward pimps and prostitutes I’ve seen.
Overall, this is a sharp production from a confident director and a top flight cast.
“Measure for Measure” continues through April 27th at Fontbonne University. For more information: www.mustardseedtheatre.com
David Noble Dandridge can be reached at: radiclwraith-theatre@yahoo.com
