Reviews
Desperate measures When a
Theatre Is Needed; REVIEW by Steve
Cooke
As part of the ‘Shakespeare Re-told Week’, and to their great credit, Rochdale Borough Library Services, adhering to the spirit of their Maskew bequest, transformed the Hollingworth Suite at Number One Riverside for one night into the Globe Theatre. With imaginative use of what is normally a conference space RBLS staged Desperate Measures, Manchester Shakespeare Company’s update of ‘Measure For Measure’. Any concerns that Shakespeare can be difficult and boring were dispelled by excellent writing and direction brought vibrantly to life by a superb cast.
Four Hundred and ten years ago Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’ was given its first recorded performance. Originally published in the Folio of 1623 it was labelled as a comedy although some critics consider it particularly "dark" comedy for its bitterness and cynicism. In ‘Measure for Measure’ Shakespeare certainly raises important moral issues of power, lust and mercy.
In 2014 Manchester Shakespeare Company’s John Topliff and Hannah Ellis along with Directors Gina T Frost and Matt Cawson, and Stage Manager Keziah Gardomadapt adapted the play for our times, setting it not in the original Vienna but the fictitious Mancia. They explore the same moral issues as Shakespeare in a contemporary context, using a minimalist but very effective staging with scene shifters written into the action to great effect.
Shakespeare’s original characters are given a satirical makeover with the Duke of Mancia becoming David “call me Dave” Vincent the Mayor of Mancia and Lord Angelo reinvented as his ‘Coalition Partner’ Nicky Angelo. David Vincent [John Dayton] is a leader with a problem. Having promised everything to anybody to keep his seat, he now has to deliver. But with the entire police force reduced to the overworked Constable Iqbal [Lauron Stirrup], the prisons full to capacity and his Coalition Deputy, the ambitious and ruthless Nicky Angelo [Alex Miller], snapping at his heels, there is only one thing to do: go on holiday.
Nicky is left in charge with only his long-suffering PA Escala Morgan [Heather Carroll], a male character in Shakespeare’s original play, to keep an eye on him. Things go quickly downhill, as Nicky flexes his new muscles and Human Rights lawyer Isabel [Izzy] Aguecheek [co-writer Hannah Ellis] has to fight to save the life of her hapless brother Claude [Adam Vinten] from the ruthless Mayor. Her desperate attempts to save her brother’s life take us from City Hall into the murky world of sin and sleaze. The Mayor, Nicky, abuses his power by exploiting Izzy’s desperation to save her brother’s life to satisfy his own lusts. Through clever and very amusing use of ‘Farce’ the tables are turned and Nicky’s career is destroyed through social media with the ever dependable, clear sighted PA Escala becoming Mayor in place of the ‘ditherer’ and the ’merciless’ leader of the Coalition.
John Dayton and Alex Miller play the Mayors through the prism of current figures such as David Cameron and Nick Clegg with a touch of Ed Balls and even Enoch Powell. Alex Miller at times references the comedic techniques of both Rowan Atkinson and Matthew Kelly. Co-writer Hannah Ellis makes a very convincing Human Rights Lawyer alongside Heather Carroll and Lauron Stirrup portraying strong female roles in stark contrast with the weak, abusive, lustful, merciless male characters. After the performance the male members of the cast told all across the arts how they had researched their parts by watching lots of political pieces and incorporating the speech patterns of current politicians.
Co-writer Hannah Ellis explained that she had stood in at the last minute for Laura Littlewood, the original Izzy Aguecheek, as Laura is now pregnant and not too keen on being thrown across the stage! The Company had only completed the technical run-through five minutes before this outstanding performance!
The excellent Manchester Shakespeare Company are based at the 3 Minute Theatre in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, at the iconic Afflecks, and all across the arts recommend a visit.
As part of the ‘Shakespeare Re-told Week’, and to their great credit, Rochdale Borough Library Services, adhering to the spirit of their Maskew bequest, transformed the Hollingworth Suite at Number One Riverside for one night into the Globe Theatre. With imaginative use of what is normally a conference space RBLS staged Desperate Measures, Manchester Shakespeare Company’s update of ‘Measure For Measure’. Any concerns that Shakespeare can be difficult and boring were dispelled by excellent writing and direction brought vibrantly to life by a superb cast.
Four Hundred and ten years ago Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’ was given its first recorded performance. Originally published in the Folio of 1623 it was labelled as a comedy although some critics consider it particularly "dark" comedy for its bitterness and cynicism. In ‘Measure for Measure’ Shakespeare certainly raises important moral issues of power, lust and mercy.
In 2014 Manchester Shakespeare Company’s John Topliff and Hannah Ellis along with Directors Gina T Frost and Matt Cawson, and Stage Manager Keziah Gardomadapt adapted the play for our times, setting it not in the original Vienna but the fictitious Mancia. They explore the same moral issues as Shakespeare in a contemporary context, using a minimalist but very effective staging with scene shifters written into the action to great effect.
Shakespeare’s original characters are given a satirical makeover with the Duke of Mancia becoming David “call me Dave” Vincent the Mayor of Mancia and Lord Angelo reinvented as his ‘Coalition Partner’ Nicky Angelo. David Vincent [John Dayton] is a leader with a problem. Having promised everything to anybody to keep his seat, he now has to deliver. But with the entire police force reduced to the overworked Constable Iqbal [Lauron Stirrup], the prisons full to capacity and his Coalition Deputy, the ambitious and ruthless Nicky Angelo [Alex Miller], snapping at his heels, there is only one thing to do: go on holiday.
Nicky is left in charge with only his long-suffering PA Escala Morgan [Heather Carroll], a male character in Shakespeare’s original play, to keep an eye on him. Things go quickly downhill, as Nicky flexes his new muscles and Human Rights lawyer Isabel [Izzy] Aguecheek [co-writer Hannah Ellis] has to fight to save the life of her hapless brother Claude [Adam Vinten] from the ruthless Mayor. Her desperate attempts to save her brother’s life take us from City Hall into the murky world of sin and sleaze. The Mayor, Nicky, abuses his power by exploiting Izzy’s desperation to save her brother’s life to satisfy his own lusts. Through clever and very amusing use of ‘Farce’ the tables are turned and Nicky’s career is destroyed through social media with the ever dependable, clear sighted PA Escala becoming Mayor in place of the ‘ditherer’ and the ’merciless’ leader of the Coalition.
John Dayton and Alex Miller play the Mayors through the prism of current figures such as David Cameron and Nick Clegg with a touch of Ed Balls and even Enoch Powell. Alex Miller at times references the comedic techniques of both Rowan Atkinson and Matthew Kelly. Co-writer Hannah Ellis makes a very convincing Human Rights Lawyer alongside Heather Carroll and Lauron Stirrup portraying strong female roles in stark contrast with the weak, abusive, lustful, merciless male characters. After the performance the male members of the cast told all across the arts how they had researched their parts by watching lots of political pieces and incorporating the speech patterns of current politicians.
Co-writer Hannah Ellis explained that she had stood in at the last minute for Laura Littlewood, the original Izzy Aguecheek, as Laura is now pregnant and not too keen on being thrown across the stage! The Company had only completed the technical run-through five minutes before this outstanding performance!
The excellent Manchester Shakespeare Company are based at the 3 Minute Theatre in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, at the iconic Afflecks, and all across the arts recommend a visit.
