David KiplerDirected by Annamaria Pileggi, the play was performed in the A.E. Hotchner Studio, on the third floor Mallinckrodt. The play runs this weekend, Nov. 16-18, starting at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $9 for Washington University students and seniors, and $15 for adults.
“Measure for Measure” offers a theater experience different from anything else performed so far this year at the University. First, the play is performed in the round. The audience sits on opposite ends of the studio, while the action takes place in the middle. More than once, the audience ends up looking at someone’s back for what can seem like a long time. This is not to discredit the actors or the staging; theater in the round is a different animal and can be difficult to perform. This production comes out fairly well, all things considered.
The other unique experience is pretty self explanatory: this is Shakespearean theater. It is one of Shakespeare’s funnier and more enjoyable plays, but that doesn’t mean that my dad wouldn’t fall asleep if he was watching. Admittedly, it took me about two scenes to slip into the Shakespearean mindset so I could catch all of the sex jokes-and this play has a lot. And if you are up on your Shakespearean English, the play is more than worth the your time.
“Measure for Measure” is very well done. The staging is excellent-except for the few butt moments-and the acting is exceptional, especially from senior Kelly Riley as Angelo and sophomore Justin Joseph, playing Duke Vincentio. The comedic aspects are emphasized, and it was pretty impossible not to laugh. The costumes were perfectly detailed to fit with the actor’s roles, and the actors worked well with what was a very sparse set. The set consisted of a podium and a few arch-ways around the sides of the stage. Everything else was mobile. This led to one space changing from a jail cell, to a duke’s palace, then to a garden very easily without losing pace of the audience’s attention.
Anyone interested in the show should also check out “Four Ways of Reading a Scene” on November 13 at 4:30 p.m. The director and designers will discuss how the play was put together and all of the decisions that go into such a performance. This round table style discussion will take place in the Hotchner Studio, on the third floor of Mallinckrodt in the Performing Arts Department.
For more information on the play and discussion, check out the performance blog at http://padwu.blogspot.com.