Measure for Measure (The Public Theater)

See it if You enjoy Shakespeare's comedies and don't mind if it's read more than acted. More clever than enjoyable or engrossing. First hour drags.

Don't see it if you don't want to or can't sit for 2hrs and 15minutes without an intermission. Want to see more acting than reading of Shakespeare.

See it if You like Elevator Repair Service -- but read it first! Much is taken at a rapid, incomprehensible pace. Whole idea is varied "measures."

Don't see it if You like your Shakespeare at a measured, understandable pace that does justice to the great scenes in this play.

See it if If you like experimental productions of classic plays.

Don't see it if If you like traditional productions of Shakespeare and being able to understand what is being said really matters to you.

Also Very gimmicky, confusing and disappointing. Had there been an intermission, very likely many audience members would have left.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like deconstructed text.

Don't see it if Don’t. Just don’t. It’s nonsense. Many audience members walked out during the performance.

Also ERS, known for illuminating text, have here shredded it. They read off teleprompters(!!) to get out as many syllables as possible, but it is received by the audience as gibberish.... Read more Read less

See it if you're open to any and all kinds of interpretations of Shakespeare. I found it incoherent (literally!) with no overall vision.

Don't see it if you prize Shakepeare's language and prefer your Bard straight up.

See it if you enjoy Shakespeare remakes.

Don't see it if you are tired of seeing yet another remake of Shakespeare's works. It's edgy to be sure, but do we really need another remake?

See it if you are a big ERS fan and enjoy absurdist/slapstick/slightly Dada/meta theater. Visually exciting, ultra committed, funny performances.

Don't see it if You want traditional Shakespeare or to savor the prose, you don't like breakneck-auctioneer quick pace. You don't like ERS-type absurdity.

Also I'm a huge ERS fan, but at this point, this isn't one of their more stellar works. Great idea, but the play can't sustain the 2+ hours of the idea (no intermission). The piece moves at times at lightning fast speed, which is fun but gets very tiring. The prison scene is the one spot where things slow to a crawl, and (though the acting is uneven) it's compelling and a great shift. It's clear from the director's statement that ERS wanted to tackle a "problem" play, but rather than show it in its lengthy, meandering entirety, the piece would benefit from condensing and cutting and perhaps it would be able to maintain the energy and focus. The parts that worked, worked wonderfully. And again, the actors do a superhuman job keeping the ball in the air.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Shakespeare and you want to see a creative interpretation of Measure for Measure

Don't see it if you'd like to actually understand what the actors are saying

See it if You are an ERS megafan who thinks Shakespeare is overrated and should be sacrificed for the sake of ill-conceived experimentalism.

Don't see it if You have any respect for Shakespeare, theater, artistic integrity, or your own bladder (2hr10min with no intermission)

See it if You--ESPECIALLY supposed NY'ers--do research on the show's company and its aesthetic aims. It's the 21st century. Experimentation is crucial

Don't see it if You think Shkspr can only be done in tights, no text cuts, w/ overly poised diction and cowardly adherence to 300 yr old production vibes.

See it if You understand that newer artistic languages (jazz, modern dance, etc) can only come from taking apart old forms. Shkspr's not immune..

Don't see it if Don't have Shakespeare elevated to God status (Shkspr himself wouldn't have preferred that).

See it if You like new takes on things. I knew this company would likely do crazy things w/ the text, so I relaxed and enjoyed! Fun performances!

Don't see it if You don't want to hear Shakespeare text spoken at occasionally high speeds or w/ occasional high volume sound design.

See it if ...you tend to fall on the non-classicist side of show criticism; willing to try something new.

Don't see it if if you're not entirely ready engage abstract/deconstructionist art where Shakespeare is concerned.

Also I'm a tad surprised at some of the negative reviews here. I saw this show twice and there were nearly 40 people standing/applauding at show's end (both nights). Tonight, in fact, they began clapping before the play finished. I did see 2 or 3 walkouts as well, but that seems part and parcel to any experimental company's work (esp. when it tackles Shakespeare). In my thinking, walkouts during this kind of work often means the work isn't emphasizing easier, crowd-pleasing interpretations of the source material. It helped to research the company and read the director's notes to understand their aims and techniques in this show. Additionally--for those that seem to express anger at the Public Theater for this production--I'm fairly sure The Public Theater has never been expressly about literalist treatments of classic texts; its history contains a fair share of edginess and experimentation over their amazing, provocative history. Hope this was helpful. Happy theater-going!... Read more Read less