'Measure for Measure' is not one of Shakespeare's best or most important plays by all means, but it is one of his most underrated and deserves to be known and performed more. Other plays of his have more iconic characters and speeches, as some of the characters in 'Measure for Measure' have always seemed underwritten, but there are many beautiful parts in the script and there are great scenes and characterisation. Every Shakespeare play is worth reading or/and seeing at least once and that is the case here.
Royal Shakespeare Company's live transmissions in recent years have been of a very interesting and mostly worthwhile standard. The quality varied, there were some truly great productions that succeeded in giving the respective plays freshness and relevance and also good ones with reservations. But also some disappointing ones that tried too hard or played it too safe and conventionally, and a couple (i.e. 2018's 'Macbeth' veered into ugliness and distaste). Their production of 'Measure for Measure' is one of the best and one of the few faultless ones in my view. My first introduction to the play was the 1979 BBC Television Shakespeare production, that production is great and one of the best of that series but despite not being traditional this is even better and may (emphasis on may) be a little more accessible for first time viewers.
Everything works here. Quite a lot of the production is laugh-out loud funny, there is a lot of comedy and it all hits. The best of it is hilarious, without straining for laughs or over-the top. Yet the production also doesn't forget the darker and bleaker elements of 'Measure for Measure' (something that was under-explored in the company's production of 'The Taming of the Shrew', still liked that production just to say), in fact it emphasises this more than most productions without being too heavy on it. The heart is far from lost.
Also really liked and appreciated that the production gave more distinction and development to characters that are usually bland and underwritten, especially Lucio and Escalus. The staging is tasteful, dramatically riveting and is recognisable in the drama. It's true to 'Measure for Measure's' spirit, without being too safe (something that was a problem in the company's 'Julius Caesar' and 'Antony and Cleopatra'). The bleaker tone doesn't get heavy-handed, even with the austerity in the production values.
The production feels fresh and relevant and in a way that doesn't feel like it's trying too hard to appeal to wider audiences like 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' did. If anything it's closer to the company's performances of 'Coriolanus' and 'Titus Andronicus'. It looks great, austere but also at times sumptuous. The updating remarkably makes sense and helped make the characters more interesting and the themes true to life. It is also one of the very few productions of the live transmissions series where the gender reversal conceit actually worked and made sense within the drama rather than it being distracting and confused, the latter being the case with most of the productions attempting it. Escalus' dilemma was a little more relatable here.
Furthermore, 'Measure for Measure' is nicely scored and did like its intimacy. The performances are faultless, Lucy Phelps is movingly vulnerable and Sandy Grierson is terrifying as Angelo. The chemistry between the two scintillates in emotion and suspense. Claire Price is noble and affecting, proving that she can do dramatic roles as well as comedic. Joseph Arkley is seductive and dapper, while also at times loathsome in a way that he and Lucio never were before.
In conclusion, wonderful. 10/10.
