In the last six months, London theatregoers have had the chance to see Measure for Measure directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins at the Young Vic (until November 14), staged by Dominic Dromgoole at the Globe, and in a touring version by the Russian-language subsidiary of the Cheek By Jowl company, which visited the Barbican and the Oxford Playhouse earlier this year.
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It is certainly interesting to see the general praise of Shakespeare for being 'always and ultimately timeless' to be challenged by the notion that the modern context heightens the timelessness of a play, and calls for its production in relation to a social or political event. Clearly, the political events of today, as expressed by this article, call for a look at Measure for Measure. The thing that intrigues me further, however, is the nature of a play existing to simply be a play, and how that relates to Shakespeare. Because every playwright writes within a context, the play will be infused with certain elements of that context. If they are a good playwright, their work will get at something deeper in humanity through that context. Yet, I do wonder if there is any value in taking Shakespeare, or any work, at face value, without heavy interpretation or contextual implications. This article then, acknowledging that the contents of Measure for Measure are relevant now, may probe at why, if the play itself is what is relevant, do productions so desperately need to prove it to us by their concept? This question is one that I believe, directors must grapple with when choosing a concept for a play. The concept should not acknowledge something that is already in the play, but rather be focused on a central contradiction or tension in the play's fabric, and highlight the difficulties of that tension, so that the discussion occurs based on the things that are difficult and require interpretation, rather than pointing to something obvious.
It has been years since I’ve read this play, but it is a really good one and I wish I could have seen at the Globe Theater. I agree with the author of the article I think this play was relevant back when it was written all the way through to today. I think it would do well in the United States for the reasons Lawson was pointing out that women today are still struggling to have full control over their own bodies I certain cultures. There are far too many old white men in the government who believe that they should be the ones to decide if women get contraceptives they need or if they have the right to have a abortion. Watching a nun struggle with her virginity may seem a little extreme a comparison, but really I think it furthers the idea that government should not be a force on what a woman does with her own body. I also do believe that this would be a good show for young high school minds.
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