Theater in NY and Beyond: Measure for Measure by Pushkin Theater and Cheek by Jowl

Shakespeare’s ‘problem play’ with all the modern society’s ills co-produced by Moscow’s Pushkin Theater and London’s Cheek by Jowl with Declan Donnellan directing 

Two world famous theaters combine their forces to produce a dynamic and powerful play by Shakespeare which seems to be written about our fast-paced time. Or it could well be that no matter what time it is, people and the interplay of their motives stay the same.

Shakespeare, the great master of human soul and its hidden desires, had placed the story in the space close to his, and the brilliance of Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod is in shifting it to the modern time while keeping the story intact. The amazing thing is the fresh potency of the story that explores corruption, hypocrisy, and lies of those in power and the tight strings at their disposal to turn the world around in tune with their wishes. Opened in 2013 in Moscow, Russia, this “Measure for Measure” production had already traveled around the world getting rave reviews in Spain, France, Britain, and many other countries. See for yourself how up-to-date Shakespeare was when he wrote his timeless plays.

The performance is in Russian with English subtitles; it runs for intense 100 minutes without intermission.

Measure for Measure will be performed in Washington DC, Brooklyn NY, Boston MA, Los Angeles CA.

The play Measure for Measure was written by W. Shakespeare in around 1603 and performed for the first time in 1604. The themes of morality and mercy, as well as corruption and virtue, are credited to reference the biblical sources giving the play its title and a line in a dialogue:

“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

When it was published in the First Folio of Shakespeare’s works, the play was listed as a comedy taking place in Vienna. However, by some accounts, it originally was set in Italy.

While it is one of Shakespeare’s arguably more complex and morally ambiguous works, in the staging by Cheek by Jowl theater company it’s edginess is brought to the extreme. Cheek by Jowl, which was founded by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod in 1981 is well known for its unconventional reading of the material and its unbridled imagination. The company is credited with discovering such superstars as Daniel Craig, Michael Sheen, and Matthew Macfadyen. And in addition to that, it is known to staging Shakespeare in a foreign language. “Measure for Measure” is performed in Russian with projected English subtitles.

This is not the first time the artistic directors of Cheek by Jowl present a Shakespearian play in the Russian language. They started working with the Russian speaking actors in Moscow in the 1990s. In 1994 the company brought all-male Russian cast to that year Next Wave Festival at BAM. “The original language might not even be essential to understanding the plays at all” in the words of The Telegraph review of the “Measure for Measure” before its opening in London in April of 2015.

“Measure for Measure” ran to the extraordinary acclaim in Russia and nominated in five categories for the biggest Russian theater prize, the Golden Mask award. In 2016, Donnellan won the Venice Biennale’s prestigious Golden Lion award for a lifetime’s “profound faith in text”. Indeed his reading of Shakespeare is as deep as it can get. The FT calls it “a show of power”.

The play opens bare the issues as old as the world yet as current as the latest virally trending clip or hashtag. The dynamism and energy of the Cheek by Jowl production are accentuated by the dramatic yet spare stage design with five red cubes and the piercing overhead lights. The story underscores the dark power of authority over its populace and the authority’s use of shame as a clever tool of control and manipulation. Other deep threads in the story are the corruption and danger of purists juxtaposed over off-putting yet conflicting souls.

The depth of Shakespearian characters under the masterful direction and performance by Cheek by Jowl company and the actors from Pushkin Theater will surely be a highlight of 2018 Next Wave Festival at BAM and the company’s appearances in Washington DC, Boston MA and Los Angeles CA.

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Beyond NY: Dates and Discounted Tickets with the promo code TNTIX

Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater, Washington DC, October 10 – 13, 2018

Cutler Majest Theater, Boston MA, October 24 – 28, 2018

Macgowan Hall Little Theater, Los Angeles, CA, November 29 – December 8, 2018

 

Dates and Tickets at BAM

BAM Harvey Theater, Brooklyn, NY, October 16 – 21, 2018

Venue: 651 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217

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