Globe: Measure for Measure
The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept.
Vincentio, Duke of Vienna, disgusted by the immorality in his city, announces his withdrawal from public life and leaves his deputy, the puritanical Angelo, in charge. Angelo, in his zeal for observing the letter of the law, begins a ruthless programme to stamp out sexual licence, in the course of which he condemns one Claudio to death. Surely Claudio’s virginal sister Isabella, a novice nun seeking mercy for her brother, could not awake the lust of this cold, censorious man?
Injustice, hypocrisy and the challenge of inflexible virtue combine in Measure for Measure, Shakespeare’s most searching exploration of sexual politics and social justice.
This screening will feature an introduction by Prof Lisa Hopkins, Sheffield Hallam University
Lisa's expertise is in Shakespeare, John Ford and Christopher Marlowe, but she has also written about the influence of Darwinian Theory on fiction and on film adaptations of literary texts. She co-edits Shakespeare, the journal of the British Shakespeare Association, is co-editor of the Continuum Renaissance Drama series, vice-president of the Marlowe Society and a member of the Shakespeare Society of India.
REVIEWS
★★★★
‘A production that gives us light as well as shade…Dromgoole’s production really sings.’
Time Out
★★★★
‘Rich, messy and human… Mariah Gale gives a performance of delicacy and force as Isabella… As the Duke, Dominic Rowan milks the comedy from the scenes where his character is disguised as a friar, but he also brings a moral intricacy to the role.’
The Stage
★★★★
‘Irrepressively lively… manages to make instantaneous shifts between uproarious bawdy and theatre-hushing seriousness.’
The Independent
★★★★
‘Dominic Dromgoole’s staging finds more broad comedy in this dark, troubling play than you might expect.’
Financial Times
★★★★
‘Dominic Dromgoole shows all his experience in his final production in the Globe’s outdoor space… Mariah Gale is an outstanding Isabella.’
The Sunday Times
‘The beautiful eloquence of the verse, and heartfelt nature of the acting, send unseasonal shivers down the spine.’
The Daily Telegraph
‘Shakespeare without a safety net… It’s noisy, it’s earthy, it’s unruly… Here’s a corking good time, clear enough to make the play count, with a quite astonishing feat of acting at its heart.’
Variety
- Director
- Dominic Dromgoole
- Country
- UK
- Year
- 2016
- Duration
- 185 mins
- Cast
- Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Kurt Egyiawan, Mariah Gale, Trevor Fox
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