A Review of The RSC’s New Production of Measure for Measure at The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
There is also a sense of the ridiculous which at first I couldn’t put my finger…
Raymond Coulthard as Duke Vincentio – Photo:RSC
The new RSC production of Measure for Measure, at the Swan in Stratford-upon-Avon, is a small theatrical masterpiece that allows the words to come through and do their work, which is no easy task in this one of Shakespeare’s most densely written works.
Director Roxana Silbert also brings out the inherent (and often missed) humour of the play, a humour that only the best of acting skills can pull from the aforementioned denseness of text; and in this production everyone pulls their acting weight, creating a wonderful sense of time and place – and, it has to be said, good will – which spills over into the audience at pretty much every turn. A difficult thing to do.
There is also a sense of the ridiculous which I couldn’t put my finger on at first, until I remembered that Raymond Coulthard – who plays Vincentio – starred in that superbly funny, and slightly ridiculous TV series, Hotel Babylon, which makes me wonder if he might have been cast to create a sense of the ridiculous again, which, with his small and perfectly executed conjuring tricks adds to the sleight-of-hand that is at the centre of the Duke Vincentio’s somewhat weird character. For whatever reason Coulthard plays the Duke exquisitely, creating a presence on stage that has the bearing of an earlier era. A performance to be remembered.
As are the performances of every actor involved in this production, with Bruce Alexander’s Provost a beautifully timed performance that uses comedy to greatly enhance the narrative power of this one of Shakespeare’s most important plays, as does Jodie McNee’s Isabella, whose emotional twists and turns burn into our own hearts, reminding us of our own fragility.
These three performances are backed brilliantly by, amongst others, Joseph Kloska’s Pompey, Sam Marks’ Friar Peter, Paul Chahidi’s spot on Lucio, Jamie Ballard’s soft-spined Angelo, and not least Daniel Stewart’s hilarious Hell’s Angel, Barnadine.
My only criticism of this production are the poor costumes – and there’s no excuse for that – and the two ‘living’ standard lamps which come across as a piece of student nonsense.
Apart from those small criticisms this is a production that must be seen.
Liked it
