Measure for Measure
May. 8th, 2012 06:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidLast night I went to a staged reading of Measure for Measure, hosted by the Underground Railway Theater at the Central Square Theater. It was my first time in the building; I hadn't realized it was on the second floor. I didn't get to see the main stage, since this was in the rehearsal space, but from what I saw of the rest of the space, I think it would be nice.
A number of the actors were from ASP, which was cool, and most of the rest of them were quite good, though Angelo tripped over his lines a couple of times. My standards for staged readings is somewhat different than for staged plays, though, so it wasn't the same kind of problematic it would have been for a full-on production.
Some of the reason this was one of a series of staged readings put on by URT was that they're considering producing it in the next year or two, and wanted discussion afterward about its issues, whether it's relevant today. And it definitely is. People mentioned abuse of power, and how social status can affect how the law is applied. This time I kept thinking about how today (in the US, anyway) this sort of sudden draconian crackdown is about drug use, not sex. Though if it were viewed as social structure, rather than law, there are definitely subgroups where some sexual behaviors could lead to loss of status or more. Someone else pointed out how Isabella's religious faith played out in her preferences, and that's emphasized, to me, in how her fate is left open at the end of the play. The duke has offered her marriage, but it's unclear whether she would accept his offer (if it's not a situation of his power making his will into a non-declinable offer), since she's already entered a cloister as a novice. This is very different from other comedies, where so many are paired off with a cluster of weddings at the end. (I still don't understand why Mariana still wants Angelo, but that's a different issue.)
Oh, and I realized at this reading that while it's set in Vienna, because of the names, I'd always had it in my head as set in some Italian city. I wonder why Shakespeare chose Vienna.
The other advantage to a staged reading was that the lights didn't go down, and I knew I wouldn't be missing much visually, so I could crochet through it :-). And my back is finally mostly better, so sitting for that long wasn't the same kind of issue it would have been a few months ago, either (much with the yayness about that!).
A number of the actors were from ASP, which was cool, and most of the rest of them were quite good, though Angelo tripped over his lines a couple of times. My standards for staged readings is somewhat different than for staged plays, though, so it wasn't the same kind of problematic it would have been for a full-on production.
Some of the reason this was one of a series of staged readings put on by URT was that they're considering producing it in the next year or two, and wanted discussion afterward about its issues, whether it's relevant today. And it definitely is. People mentioned abuse of power, and how social status can affect how the law is applied. This time I kept thinking about how today (in the US, anyway) this sort of sudden draconian crackdown is about drug use, not sex. Though if it were viewed as social structure, rather than law, there are definitely subgroups where some sexual behaviors could lead to loss of status or more. Someone else pointed out how Isabella's religious faith played out in her preferences, and that's emphasized, to me, in how her fate is left open at the end of the play. The duke has offered her marriage, but it's unclear whether she would accept his offer (if it's not a situation of his power making his will into a non-declinable offer), since she's already entered a cloister as a novice. This is very different from other comedies, where so many are paired off with a cluster of weddings at the end. (I still don't understand why Mariana still wants Angelo, but that's a different issue.)
Oh, and I realized at this reading that while it's set in Vienna, because of the names, I'd always had it in my head as set in some Italian city. I wonder why Shakespeare chose Vienna.
The other advantage to a staged reading was that the lights didn't go down, and I knew I wouldn't be missing much visually, so I could crochet through it :-). And my back is finally mostly better, so sitting for that long wasn't the same kind of issue it would have been a few months ago, either (much with the yayness about that!).