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Synopsis When the Duke of Vienna appoints a Deputy, Angelo, to administer the city on his behalf while he travels abroad, he does not foresee Angelo's near-fanatical observation of the letter of the law. The first victim of the new regime is Claudio, a young nobleman who has made his fiancee pregnant, an offence punishable by death. His cause is put forward by a number of citizens who beg on his behalf for mercy, but Angelo, declaring that he is ready to be judged by the same high standards that he expects from others, insists that justice can allow no exceptions. That is, however, until he meets Isabella, Claudio's virtuous sister. The seemingly moral Angelo offers her brother's life in return for her virginity, but when she agrees, Angelo breaks his promise to free Claudio.
In his first Shakespeare offering of the year, prior to giving his Hamlet at the National in September, Rory Kinnear has wowed the critics with his performance as the corruptible politician Angelo in Measure for Measure at the Almeida Theatre (See News, 14 Oct 2008).
The bard’s dark comedy, widely acknowledged as one of his “problem plays”, is directed by Almeida artistic director Michael Attenborough and also stars Anna Maxwell Martin as Isabella, a novice nun and desperate sister of a condemned man who Angelo tries to seduce, and Ben Miles as the Duke of Vienna, who disguises himself to expose Angelo, his once-trusted deputy. Measure for Measure opened on 18 February 2010 (previews from 11 February) and continues until 10 April.
Overnight critics lauded Attenborough’s “inspired”, “clear”, “coherent”, “extraordinarily fresh and arresting take” on the Shakespeare classic, in which “it is as if every moment in the play has been pondered anew”. There was also appreciation for Miles’ “psychologically searching” and “intense” Duke and Maxwell Martin’s “dour” Isabella and for the comic support provided by Lloyd Hutchinson and Trevor Cooper.
But the lion’s share of accolades went to Rory Kinnear for his “discerning”, “compelling”, “bracingly honest”, “finely sketched” and quite simply “outstanding” performance as Angelo. After this measured offering, critics will doubtlessly be looking forward to his Great Dane.
Maxwell Cooter on Whatsonstage.com (four stars) – “At the heart of the production is a fine performance from Rory Kinnear as Angelo. Rather than the usual authoritarian figure, his is a humble bureaucrat, seemingly promoted beyond his ability and trying to cope with the consequences … He’s like a schoolboy going on his first date or, perhaps more realistically, retreating to his bedroom with a pile of dirty magazines. It’s a finely sketched picture of neurosis and one that reinforces the idea that here’s a basically decent man gone wrong … There’s an equally strong performance from Anna Maxwell Martin as one of the most dour Isabellas I’ve ever seen. … Where Attenborough’s production stumbles is that we don’t get much of a sense of why Ben Miles’ Duke gives up the dukedom … There’s an excellent Lucio from Lloyd Hutchinson, his Irish accent adding a touch of charm to his tall tales about the Duke’s alleged misdeeds ... While this isn’t as dark and psychologically enlightening as other recent versions of the play, Kinnear and Maxwell Martin alone offer compelling reasons to catch it if you can.”
Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard (five stars) – “Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare’s more flawed creations yet it contains three superb roles, and in Michael Attenborough’s inspired production they are played with both gravity and a fantastic sparkle … Much of the humour derives from the minor characters, and the roles are perfectly cast, with Lloyd Hutchinson especially good as Lucio … Ben Miles is a fidgety, intense Duke … This is a finely controlled interpretation, discerning and nuanced. So too is Anna Maxwell Martin’s Isabella: her default setting is a kind of ceremonious severity but then she flares into quavering anxiety and frenzied argument, only to return to waxy composure … Yet it is Rory Kinnear as Angelo who dazzles most. Initially resembling a Seventies geography teacher, he transforms into a pervy Stasi officer before mutating again and then again. It’s a stunningly detailed performance — layered, intelligent and bracingly honest ... You would struggle to find a more cogent account of this strange, unsettling and at times beautiful play.”
Michael Billington in the Guardian (three stars) – “While Michael Attenborough's modern-dress production doesn't pursue the contemporary resonances as rigorously as recent versions by Declan Donnellan and Simon McBurney, it is clear, coherent and very good on individual psychology … As Angelo, Rory Kinnear is outstanding … Where most Angelos are propelled by lust, Kinnear's is smitten by love … While Ben Miles is perfectly decent as the disguised duke who sets the play in motion, he never makes it clear whether the man is a squalid fixer or dispenser of divine justice. But there is good work from Lloyd Hutchinson who plays Lucio … I've seen Measures that create a more vivid Vienna, but the strength of the production lies in its suggestion that it is a play about two imperfect moralists who would, in a better world, make a perfect match.”
Benedict Nightingale The Times (four stars) – “There are many ways to play Angelo, the moral zealot who tries to clean up sexually impure Vienna, only to discover his own impurities. There are many ways to play the Duke ... And that’s one of the reasons why Measure for Measure is often seen as a ‘problem play’: meaning that it foxes academics who can’t admit that, while Shakespeare sets up his plot with Bardic brilliance, he resolves it as if he were hoping one day to be hired by Mills & Boon. Both (Kinnear and Maxwell Martin) bring unusual sense and sensibility to Michael Attenborough’s modern-dress production. Rory Kinnear's Angelo is in a constant state of surprised self-discovery ... I like this intelligent, shifty, troubled Angelo a lot, and Ben Miles' Duke not much less ... There are fine supporting performances, especially from Lloyd Hutchinson as the sauntering, cynical roué Lucio and Trevor Cooper as the big, bouncer-like pimp Pompey. And who can say that Measure for Measure, for all its flaws, isn’t as topical as ever? It’s not as if sex can’t still dupe, flummox, hurt and damage us.”
Paul Taylor in the Independent (five stars) – “This is an extraordinarily fresh and arresting take on Measure for Measure. It is as if every moment in the play has been pondered anew ... Every flickering moment in this eerily well-paced production quivers with possibilities. I loved the way that after concocting an ingeniously cruel punishment for Lloyd Hutchinson's hilariously louche, Irish Lucio, Ben Miles' psychologically searching Duke has the grace to laugh at the comic elaboration of the penalty and commute it. And I so admired it that even when she flings herself into the role of asking for forgiveness for Angelo, Maxwell Martin, in the course of staring hard at her erstwhile oppressor, wavers for a vertiginous few seconds in her crucial bid for clemency. Truly thrilling.”
Measure for Measure is a complex play addressing many issues that cause resonance for us today. In what way does morality have in impact on the ways we’re governed? Many governments have tried to empower a way of behaviour at odds with human instincts – nearly all have failed.
Michael Attenborough’s fine production looks at this clash of beliefs and provides some interesting psychological insights. At the heart of the production is a fine performance from Rory Kinnear as Angelo. Rather than the usual authoritarian figure, his is a humble bureaucrat, seemingly promoted beyond his ability and trying to cope with the consequences.
Kinnear’s Angelo twitches and fidgets in anticipation of his meeting with Isabella – hastily sticking in contact lenses before one of their encounters. He’s like a schoolboy going on his first date or, perhaps more realistically, retreating to his bedroom with a pile of dirty magazines. It’s a finely sketched picture of neurosis and one that reinforces the idea that here’s a basically decent man gone wrong – the Duke’s pardoning of him in the last act makes more sense.
There’s an equally strong performance from Anna Maxwell Martin as one of the most dour Isabellas I’ve ever seen. With her hard-set face and black robes, there’s a real touch of religious fanatic about this performance.
In recent years, the Duke’s offer of marriage has looked less and less like the conventional happy ending – and looked positively nightmarish in the National/Theatre de Complicite production of six years ago. Here Martin seems almost disgusted at his presumption. It’s a logical conclusion – after all, this was a woman looking for a life in a convent before Claudio’s imprisonment and her experiences at the hands of Angelo wouldn’t have impressed her that life was better outside the cloistered walls.
Where Attenborough’s production stumbles is that we don’t get much of a sense of why Ben Miles’ Duke gives up the dukedom: is it really to test out Angelo? His disgust at the start when watching two scantily-clad pole dancers suggests that it’s his lack of forbearance with the depravity in his state but it’s not very convincing. However, where Miles scores strongly is in the way that his Duke eagerly seizes the opportunity to become a fixer and play another role.
There’s an excellent Lucio from Lloyd Hutchinson, his Irish accent adding a touch of charm to his tall tales about the Duke’s alleged misdeeds. And Trevor Cooper’s Pompey, looking for all world as if he’d just come from a stint as a bouncer in an East End club, provides much of the comedy.
While this isn’t as dark and psychologically enlightening as other recent versions of the play, Kinnear and Maxwell Martin alone offer compelling reasons to catch it if you can.
Sometimes directors try too hard and in this Measure For Measure, one of Shakespeare's more difficult plays, that certainly seems to be the case. I wasn't convinced by Rory Kinnear's twitchy Angelo, or Anna Maxwell-Martin's other-worldly Isabella. It was as if a selection of emotions had been put into the hat for the cast to take their pick from and what ever came out they played it that way. This production has received rave reviews and it is hard to make a stand, but I think it suffers from too much internalising for its own good. Brave attempt though it was it is of no matter as there will always be a next time with Shakespeare. - rds
11 Apr 10
The last Shakespeare at the Almeida was a dreadful 'Designer Macbeth' which was the only occasion I've ever seen the talents of Simon Russell Beale wasted. Fortunately, this is a fine interpretation of a very difficult 'morality' play. The modern setting works really well, as the themes, including the abuse of power, are just as relevant today. Rory Kinnear and Anna Maxwell-Martin are both hugely impressive, and there's an excellent Lucio from Lloyd Hutchinson. I was less convinced by Ben Miles' Duke - he seemed distracted, resulting in somewhat idiosyncratic verse speaking - though he did improve as the play went on. Les Brotherston's set allows the action to move swiftly between office, street, prison etc. and Michael Attenborough handles the ambiguity of the ending brilliantly. Loved it! - Gareth James
18 Mar 10
The last Measure for Measure I saw was the Complicite production at the National. This is a much more straightforward version and often much more effective for that. Although there is much less sense of decadence and debauchery the focus on the three main characters is much more intense. Ben Miles is a fine Duke, Anna Maxwell Martin is a fiesty Isabella and Rory Kinnear justifies his reputation as the finest actor of his generation. He plays Angelo as a minor civil servant, promoted beyond his abilities and utterly confused by his response to power and his feelings for Isabella. Unfortunately Angelo is barely in Act 2 and Michael Attenborough has contrived an unsatisfactory ending. Kinnear is oddly accepting and unresponsive to his fate and the volte face of te Duke is severely understated as is Isabella's compliance or rejection of her future. It's a pity as otherwise this is a well presented and mostly very well acted Measure. - David Baxter
17 Mar 10
Theatre is great, provoking such differing responses. I was hugely dissapointed by this production; unconvinced about the Duke and why he should leave his land, unconvinced by Angelo and his desire for Isabella. There was this skitish desire but it didn't convince, nor did Isabella who seemed so unmoved by the brothers impending death. Surely she would show some emotion, even if sticking to her principals? As for Claudio, he seemed totally unconcerned about being sent to prison then sentenced to death. Only when he was about to die did we see any emotion. The characters didn't connect, the performances didn't convince. Very dissapointing. - Paul Wallis
06 Mar 10
Quite the best MforM that I have ever witnessed... - Ian
02 Mar 10
Some good bits some bad bits. I know this play very well and some directorial choices left me confused. Isabella- dour indeed, uncaring and cold in fact. To me it seems like she has no love for claudio (played in a one note fashion) which completely negates one of the plays main narratives. I didnt like her portrayal at all. I love kinnear but i think he is just too good at comedy to play serious roles (Man of Mode-amazing, Revengers Tradgedy- poor). I think he did pick out some new details in the text as did a couple of the others (Lucio in particular) but the production on the whole was un-illuminating and quite forgettable. I hoped for better. - PG
02 Mar 10
I'm no expert at theatre but I know what I like! We went to see this last night and I thought it was absolutely stunning. Anna Maxwell Martin particularly in the first half. The energy in the lead performances was terrific. The staging was particularly clever. Certainly one of my top 3 viewings in the last few years. Highly recommended, you are unlikely to be disappointed. - Aitch
20 Feb 10
It´s a brilliant cast relishing in Shakespeare´s verse. In the first preview, Ben Miles needed the very first scene to find the rythm but then turned it into a breathtaking performance of manipulating and controlling the players in "his game". While Rory Kinnear was the harmless and charming Angelo - somehow trapped in his beliefs - who couldn´t change his mind was likewise a pure delight and the fragile looking Anna Maxwell Martin proved a strong and superb counterpart to Angelo´s and Duke´s advances. This production allows serious doubts of the Duke´s good intentions and the expected happy ending. - Elisabeth
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