With a cast of this exceptional quality, the effort is also rewarded! The ensemble was led with great sincerity and energy by Renea S. Brown as Isabella, the sister who will do just about anything (and does) in order to obtain a pardon for her brother's life. Her skill at bringing every word out of her mouth to life really anchored the entire production. Her brother's been convicted of a crime moral turpitude and is sentenced to death. Meanwhile, there's a Duke who ups and leaves the city in the charge of his relatives, then disappears. But he hasn't gone anywhere, he's just disguised as an Abbot. He's sussing out corruption in the kingdom. And there is plenty to be found. The Duke was played with a boyish impishness by Nathan Darrow. His roguish good looks aided the presentation. Other shout outs go to Lee Osorio as the Duke's corrupt cousin, Angelo. Jonathan Feuer who plays the city's ne'er-do-well wannabe, Lucio --funniest lines/moments in the play go to him. What also set Feuer apart was his complete mastery of the physical gesture: a turn of his head, a movement of his hand or even a finger to punctuate a line. And finally to Chinai Routte who played Mistress Overdone/Francisca the town's 'overdone' madame--another source of much humor.
This is the second time I've seen "Measure For Measure" performed on stage. In spite of the excellent cast, the oddities of the characterizations (not as they were acted) as they were written persist and bloom primarily in the character of the Duke, who at times is inexplicably cruel to Isabella, whom he secretly loves. It's capricious and brings us to one of the most odd endings. Almost like a reprise of "As You Like It"'s mass marriage celebration, but with bizarre, unsettling twists like a post-nuptial promise to execute one of the grooms and then an odd pardon with the punishment transferring to the marriage itself... The roller coaster ride is just too jerky for me, but I guess Shakespeare did alright by himself in the long run...
Isabella's (Renea S. Brown) first attempt to change Angelo's (Lee Osorio) mind regarding his decree to execute her brother, Claudio
A plea that eventually leads to a liaison between the two, then Angelo betrays his promise to free Claudio post-tryst.
Three of the town's "up-standing" citizens discussing the Duke's sudden disappearance at the pending state of affairs under the joint leadership of Angelo and Escalus. L-R: Froth (John Sygar), Lucio (Jonathan Feuer), and Elbow (Ryan Sellers)
Mistress Overdone (Chinai Routte) with her side-kick in mischief, Pompey (Ahmad Kamal)
Isabella meets the mysterious friar (Nathan Darrow), a.k.a. the Duke in disguise, at the prison while visiting her brother.
A subsequent meeting, this time involving Lucio, as the "Friar" continues to explore the depth and scope of the corruption in the city.
Isabella speaks to the Duke (Nathan Darrow) upon his return as Escalus (Holly Twyford) looks on.
In the final moments, members of the ensemble come together to have their "truths" revealed before the Duke who begins the sorted process of adjudicating all the wrongs and rewarding all the good eggs. L-R: Monk (Ryan Sellers), the Duke (Nathan Darrow), Angelo (Lee Osorio), Escalus (Holly Twyford), Marianna--Angelo's estranged betrothed (Renee Elizabeth Wilson) and the Provost (Sean Fri)
A final scene where the Duke proposes matrimony to Isabella and she renounces her religious vows to accept. L-R: Marianna, Angelo, the Duke, Isabella, the Provost, Claudio (Jaben Early) and Juliet (Maryanne Henderson). In the performance I saw, the role of Claudio was played by James Stringer, Jr. Jaben Early's understudy.
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