Measure For Measure
"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall" is one of the most famous quotes by the author William Shakespeare and it appears in his comedy Measure for Measure. A play that is about the pitfalls of greed, power, virtue and vice, it for a long time was considered the dirtiest of all Shakespeare comedies as well. Filled with abandoned wives, whore houses and raging lust, this particular script, which is not often produced, lends itself to a more slapstick style of presentation.
The Coeurage Theatre Company presents the Bard’s bawdy tale in their new home, The Space Theatre, and their maiden voyage has a few hiccups. Directed by company member Gedaly Guberek, five actors play all the roles on a next to bare stage similar to way it might have been done in Shakespeare’s day. The different characters are represented by both a physical transformation of the body and the addition or subtraction of a small personal prop such as dog tags, a cape or glasses. At any given time, there is only three actors on stage at once, except for the final scene where all five are present representing almost all of their respective characters.
The scenes within the play, especially the two person moments between Claudio (Peter Weidman) and his sister Isabella (Sammi Smith), or her alone with Angelo (again Peter Weidman) are truly wonderful. And even the comic moments within scenes are really great - John Klopping and Ms. Smith excel at this. The trouble comes with the transitions between characters and scenes. There are many times when one actor is playing multiple characters within the same scene and the transitions are so rough that you are taken right out of the world of the play that was being so beautifully created moments before.
Overall, the production is hit-or-miss, but the heart is in the right place. This combined with the fact that Coeurage is a Pay-what-you-can style theatre company, if you have time, check it out and if you enjoy it, leave this new company a few dollars. Measure for Measure is playing at The Space Theatre till August 8th. For more information go to Coeuragetheatre.com.