MEASURE STILL FOR MEASURE


Rehearsals for Shakespeare’s Measure For Measure have life imitating art in Jessica Kubzansky’s Measure Still For Measure, a sensational Boston Court World Premiere that takes backstage drama to a whole new level.

Press materials describe writer-director Kubzansky’s concept thusly:

“Boston Court’s first-ever immersive play, utilizing the entire building, will take audiences on a journey behind the curtain to experience the layered and intimate complexities of creating theatre. In this play-within-a-play, a renowned director rehearses a spectacular new production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, ‘the original #metoo story.’ But backstage, there’s an even bigger drama playing out as the power dynamics of the play and the rehearsal blow up in the course of the night.”

And that is precisely what this one-of-a-kind production delivers from the moment we enter the Boston Court lobby, where cast members have already begun mingling under the watchful eyes of 99 invisible flies on the wall.

Kubzansky gives us a who’s who of the “actors” rehearsing Measure For Measure (and the characters they’ll be playing) by having them introduce themselves to last-minute cast replacement Brooke (Mara Klein), stepping in for the actress previously cast as Mariana due to a family emergency.

They are:

Director Bruce Elliot Norton (Robert Beitzel) as Duke Vincentio, Dionna (Bukola Ogunmola) as Isabella, Mary (Dinah Lenney) as Escalus, Sam (Leo Marks) as Angelo, J. Todd (Alexander Matos) as Claudio, and Griffin (Randolph Thompson) as Lucio, with Jenapher Zheng’s Frankie serving as the production-within-a-production’s assistant director and Desiree Mee Jung’s Alexis as its stage manager.

The audience is then divided into two groups, one that will stay in the lobby and the other who’ll head off to the rehearsal room.

Lobby conversations amongst cast members have eager newbie Brooke inquiring about Bruce’s directorial style from stage veteran Mary, Dionna expressing concerns to AD Frankie about Bruce’s notes, and various other cast members running lines.

Then it’s off to the rehearsal room where Bruce finetunes scenes by discussing character motivations, modifying blocking, etc., a sequence that ends when the director, left alone with Dionna, does something that clearly upsets her, as it does us as observers.

Following a brief intermission, the Boston Court audience reunites inside the mainstage where cast members express their admiration for a scenic design in progress, rehearse several key scenes, and offer suggestions to the director, at least some of which he’s willing to let them try out.

Mary asks Bruce how it makes sense for her to be playing Escalus as a woman, Sam heads off to another part of the theater to do an interview, and most significantly, Dionna expresses serious concerns about the way Bruce wants her to play Isabella’s ambiguous final scene, an eleventh-hour confrontation that makes it clear exactly who holds the power here. (Hint: It’s not Dionna).

If it’s not already clear, Measure Still For Measure offers multiple pleasures and rewards.

First, it gives audiences the chance to go behind the scenes at Boston Court. (Though we don’t actually enter the dressing rooms, a projected black-and-white live feed proves the next best thing.)

Second, it offers audiences who haven’t taken a play from table read to opening night the opportunity to observe precisely what goes into making live theater.

Finally, and most significantly, it reveals how destructive and demeaning the abuse of power (and male power in particular) can be, making it abundantly clear why Shakespeare’s “original #metoo story” is as relevant today as ever.

Director Kubzansky elicits one delicious performance after another from a crème-de-la-crème cast, most of whom get to play dual roles (and memorably so), and each of whom deserves their own paragraph of superlatives.

Measure Still For Measure also proves a terrific showcase for scenic designer François-Pierre Couture, costume designer Denitsa Bliznakova, lighting designer Tom Ontiveros, sound designer John Nobori, video and projection designer Jason H. Thompson, and props designer Cindy Campos, whose assignments have them working their magic in just about every nook and cranny Boston Court Pasadena has to offer (minus office space and restrooms of course).

Last but not least, Measure Still For Measure underlines the importance of having an intimacy coordinator like the production’s Carly DW Bones on hand to prevent inappropriate or unwanted physical contact by cast or creative team members during the rehearsal process and beyond.

Erica Chamblee is assistant director. Kimberly Sanchez Garrido is production stage manager and Jasmine Leung is assistant stage manager.. Emilie Pascale Beck is dramaturg and Miranda Johnson-Haddad is Shakespeare consultant. Jennifer Gonzalez is associate lighting designer and Caitlin Leong is associate sound designer.

Casting is by Julia Flores. Dawn Alden, Kyle T. Hester, Mary Ann Pianka, Daniel Abraham Stevens, and Sharlee Taylor are understudies.

As thrilling and riveting a theatrical experience as I’ve had in my fifteen years of reviewing (and one that makes its points without hitting an audience over the head with them), Measure Still For Measure is innovative Los Angeles theater at its Boston Court Pasadena best.

Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena.
www.BostonCourtPasadena.org

–Steven Stanley
September 16, 2023
Photos: Brian Hashimoto, supplemented by screen caps from Boston Court promotional videos

 

 

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