Measure for Measure at TFANA

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 6/19/17 at 8:48pm

Has anybody seen or is planning to see TFANA's Measure for Measure? Barring the known masterpieces, it's probably my favorite Shakespeare, though a tricky one to get right in production. Interesting to note that this is Simon Godwin's return to New York theatre after his widely panned Cherry Orchard.

Updated On: 6/19/17 at 08:48 PM

[Alfie6]

Posted: 6/19/17 at 10:13pm

Going tomorrow and really excited! I am not sure what to expect but looking forward since it is not a play that is done all the time. 

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 7:52am

Looking forward to hearing some thoughts about this one. TFANA is very hit-or-miss, particularly in Shakespeare, so I want to get a sense of whether it's worth the trip.

[lyceum]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 11:26am

I was at the second preview on Sunday night and enjoyed myself quite a bit. The play was set in a modern political frame, with the duke, Angelo, and Escalus (in this production played as a woman and renamed Escala) as suit-wearing politicians running what seems to be a police state. There is lots of (blessedly unemphasized) commentary here on politicians using their influence to commit sexual assaults (Trump, of course) but also, and I think more interesting, the American prison system and the ways our systems of justice have and have not progressed since Shakespeare's time

A lot is done here to emphasize the seedy underbelly of Venice that is referred to in the play but never really seen, the biggest of which is the preshow element. An optional backstage route to the house has been set up as Mistress Overdone's brothel for the audience to "experience" before the show. I thought this was a little bit half-baked. It mostly consisted of a bit of walking through red-lit hallways lined in a wide variety of sex toys with some (very) light actor interaction thrown in. I didn't find it vital to my experience but it did set a tone. Props to the cast for being so game. There is also an immersive seating option; the main thrust stage is set as a giant party table at the top of the show with a row of upholstered wooden armchairs on either side. Me and my boyfriend sat here and thought it added a lot to the experience and rarely found our sight lines obstructed by actors or scenery.

Performances are excellent across the board. Jonathan Cake and Thomas Jay Ryan give very strong performances as The Duke and Angelo and Cara Ricketts is OUTSTANDING as Isabella; goodness is one of the hardest things to play and she does it with ease. Special mention to January LaVoy who takes the fairly unimportant Escala and gives her real interest and pathos.

This is a very good production of a less-produced work. A definite recommendation. 

[Alfie6]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 12:52pm

I absolutely loved this production and definitely recommend! The staging was beautiful and Cara Ricketts was excellent, she was by far the standout performance of the night for me. Zachary Fine also stole the show as Elbow.  My favorite part of this production was the audience engagement aspect, If you are sitting in the first few rows then don't stray too far from your seats during intermission since one of the actors hands out flags for audience members to wave at a certain point. There is also another fun audience interaction portion around intermission (I don't want to spoil it). If you know someone on the fence about seeing Shakespeare this production would be a great intro since they really go all out to make sure people are having fun. I did not have high expectations since it isn't my favorite play but they knocked it out of the park.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 1:06pm

lyceum said: "
A lot is done here to emphasize the seedy underbelly of Venice that is referred to in the play but never really seen, the biggest of which is the preshow element."

sorry but did you mean Vienna... or have they reset the play?