On Friday April 4th, the Eclectic Company Theatre in association with Kerr Bahr Productions premiered their rendition of the William Shakespeare comedy Measure For Measure. The play is now running until May 18th at the Eclectic Company Theatre.
William Shakespeare wrote comedies?
Just when you thought you were familiar with all the Shakespeare classics, the deceased poet manages to pulls more tricks out of his sleeve. Measure For Measure is one the lesser known as less produced plays. Though the play was immediately followed by the masterworks of Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra, Measure for Measure goes virtually unnoticed in the theatre, after watching the premiere; it’s a mystery as to why this play is unknown. Measure for Measure is known as one Shakespeare’s “problem plays”. The Eclectic Theatre Company bravely conquers text that poses significant dilemmas due to unresolved ethical questions and characters, which exhibit seemingly contradictory behavior. In the brilliant decisions made by director Morgan K. Nichols and the cast, the audience is pulled into a story that deals the issues of mystery, intrigue, sex, justice, and honor all under the guise of wonderfully calculated humor.
Let’s Set The Stage!
The play starts off with the Duke absenting himself form the city he rules. In his stead, he leaves the seemingly pious Lord Deputy Angelo to rule on his behalf. Angelo sentences young Claudio to death for getting Juliet, his fiancée, pregnant. The lovely, virginal Isabella, who is intended to take the vows of a nun and sister to Claudio, pleads with Angelo for Claudio’s life. Angelo, smitten with Isabella, offers to spare Claudio if Isabella will go to bed with Lord Deputy. The sinister Angelo, however, plans to deflower Isabella and behead Claudio anyway. Meanwhile, the Duke has kept tabs on everything in the land by disguising himself as a friar. He soon hatches a plan to set things right with the aid of his helpers. In true Shakespeare fashion, the characters he presents are conflicted and complicated. Situations and schemes get just enough out-of –hand to seem calamitous and askew. All the while, we sit waiting for everything to work out.
And The Players Are…
With astonishing performances by the cast, the play came alive in The Eclectic Company Theatre. As Isabella, Laura Lee Bahr was believable as a compassionate virtuous young girl who is only looking out for her brother. As the heavily flawed and complex Angelo, David Bardeen awed the crowd with his powerful soliloquy about how overwhelmed by Isabella he had become. The conflict was palpable in the silences as well as the actions. Not to be outdone, Oded Gross, who plays the cunning Duke, commanded respect, dominated the scenes with his subtle movements, and understated cadence, and yet the power and force of skills came through on the final scene.
In The Director’s Own Words
In the program, director Morgan K. Nichols writes “In this production we seek to liberate the essentially brilliant story Shakespeare intended from the now pointless confines of the obsolete genre. With some judicious cutting, we offer a text that has restored the dark-comic bite and morally dubious main character that Shakespeare was not able to offer back in 1604. The result is an astonishingly modern tale about the perils of vanity, moral hypocrisy and pure stupidity in our rulers.” Through brilliant direction and performance, we are able to undeniably identify with the piece, and still be blown away the delightful insanity. Measure For Measure is a must-see!
The Eclectic Company Theatre
5312 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91607
April 4- May 18, 2008 Fri & at 8, Sun at 6
Admission: $18
Reservations: (818) 508- 3003
Website: www.eclecticcompanytheatre.org
