Measure for Measure (The Public Theater) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (88)
See it if experimental version of shakespeare play. slow at times. Two hours no intermission, great theater group with great talent. funny at times
Don't see it if if you are are tired of measure for measure or do not like video screen words and experimental theater
See it if you like traditional Shakespearean language, mixed era costumes,typical Elevator Repair Service sets. Not as good as TFANA production
Don't see it if are a traditionalist. They work too hard to break it down
See it if you like off-beat Shakespeare, you enjoy physical comedy, you want to see famous moments of this play in a new & interesting way
Don't see it if you are expecting something groundbreaking, you like traditional Shakespeare, you can't sit for more than 2 hours
See it if Helps if you like Shakespeare comedies, helps if you know the text, helps if you like unique interpretations.
Don't see it if You don't know the play (you will miss much of it). You care for the issues (Weinstein anyone?), the emotion, the angst instead of sly jokes
See it if you have a grasp of Measureand can follow actors changing characters quickly. It was fast paced and I found myself referring to the plot.
Don't see it if You can't sit through a two+hour show with no intermission
See it if you love avant garde-ish theater. The text rules all here, and some of the performances are notable
Don't see it if you are not familiar with the plot or are not particularly quick at picking up plots (this one runs fast and free)
See it if A beautiful play. Some very nice, touching moments. And shockingly relevant to today.
Don't see it if The director made the weird choice of having the actors speed through much of the script, making it hard to understand.
See it if The one redeeming quality of the play was the acting. You can take a lot of bad scenes for one or two scenes that get you hooked.
Don't see it if You want to see a semi-normal Shakespeare production that is coherent with pacing and direction that you can follow and understand
Critic Reviews (30)
“There are watchable moments, occasional visual appeal in the design, even some touching scenes. But it’s difficult to figure out – or appreciate — what director John Collins is up to…To me, this ‘Measure for Measure’ counts as a missed opportunity...Moments of provocative drama must compete with the broad theatricality of the ERS brand, which can be fun, but persists in this production for more than two hours without intermission, and mostly without letup.”
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“ERS's version of the play…while faithful to the script,…is a mélange of avant-garde tropes that eventually become more important than the play itself. This isn't to deny that occasional flashes of insight occur…The tradeoff, though, is a show so bogged down in gimmickry that you lose interest in the narrative and instead focus on directorial 'ingenuity.'…This 'Measure for Measure' is a solipsistic exercise that serves more to obscure than clarify what's already difficult enough to comprehend.”
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"Collins has all cast members hurl themselves into what increasingly turns into an off-putting travesty...Each of thesps is only intermittently allowed to look like more than adequate participants in a third-rate SNL skit. It’s as if, concentrating on Shakespeare for the first time, Collins reckoned that the vaunted canon isn’t much good. As a result, he figured that having his insouciant way with 'Measure' would allow him to call attention to Shakespeare’s sorry deficiencies."
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"This troubled play has become even more so...As soon as this show started, it went into gibberish...The actors played around with the language in tonality, most of it shouting or in hideous southern drawls...Not a whole lot of acting was going on unless bizarre slapstick counts...The only moment in the entire production that truly felt relevant was when Isabella and Claudio are in prison...If I had not known the play, I would have been lost in translation."
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"Collins imposes a meta sensibility, throwing out conventional staging...The cast races through the dialogue striking exaggerated stereotypical poses and posturing in mock 'Shakespearean' style...Just as Collins’ quirky concept wears thin, the speed-freak patter slows down during the jailhouse scene...The contrast increases the emotional resonance and temporarily brings a stunning authenticity to this 'Measure,' but the rest is a showy, if interesting gimmick."
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"Rattling off Shakespearean dialogue as if in a speed-talking contest? That’s just too much of a leap, and apart from occasional laughs and one scene that takes hold emotionally for a short spell, this interpretation is a misguided exercise. That doesn’t mean that the cast isn’t worthy. Working against the text, the actors do their best to interpret the zany plot...They seem to be at home with their top-speed discourse. Of course, this thoroughly vitiates the beauty of Shakespeare’s language."
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"As well as an exercise in animating the original text, this production, directed with typical imaginative invention by John Collins, is an exercise in what text is, and how it should be performed...As the Duke (Scott Shepherd) weaves all manner of plot and counter-plot, and the play ends cleverly in total chaos as loose ends are hastily woven together. The company look askance and exhausted—Shakespeare has merrily done them in, and us too."
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"It’s like Howard Hawks’s 'His Girl Friday' on speed…You’ll be able to follow the general shenanigans…An exciting version of one of Shakespeare’s seldom-performed problem plays. Director Collins and ERS have chosen to make the ribald shenanigans take a backseat to the staging, which is filled with delightful contradictions and decisions that go from the sublime to the ridiculous…Shakespeare purists might wag a finger at but more adventurous theatergoers will end up clapping wildly."
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