Measure for Measure

by William Shakespeare

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running time: app 3h

1 Intermission

 

 

 

Director: Stuart Burge

Associate Director: Michael Wearing

Design: Robin Archer

Lighting: Robert Ornbo

Music: John Leach

 

 

Synopsis     Notes

 

 

Run sheet

 

Birmingham Repertory Theatre....... 6 Oct 1976

Edinburgh Festival....... 

The National Theatre (Lyttelton)....... 1977

European tour....... 

 

 

Cast  at the National

 

Bernard Lloyd..... Vincentio, the Duke

Peter Vaughan..... Escalus, an ancient Lord

David Burke..... Angelo, the Deputy

David Suchet..... Lucio, a fantastic

Roy Finn..... first gentleman

David Gant..... second gentleman

Ursula Smith..... Mistress Overdone, a bawd

Roger Sloman..... Pompey

Richard Butler..... Provost

William Lindsay..... Claudio, a young gentleman

Janet Maw..... Juliet, beloved of Claudio / a boy

Alan Rickman..... Friar Peter

Anna Calder-Marshall..... Isabella, sister to Claudio

Sheila Ferris..... Francisca, a nun

Earl Robinson..... Justice

Roger Kemp..... Elbow, a simple constable

Allan Corduner..... Froth, a foolish gentleman

Elisabeth Power..... Mariana, betrothed to Angelo

Chris Ryan..... Abhorson, an executioner

David Foxxe..... Barnardine, a dissolute prisoner

Danny Schiller..... the Duke’s servant

Michael Menaugh..... Angelo’s servant

James Saxon / Michael Hughes..... officers

John Leach..... musician

 

 

Synopsis

 

“The plot centres on Angelo, the righteous deputy empowered by the Duke of Vienna, to rule whilst he wanders about disguised as a friar to investigate the moral decay of his dukedom. Resorting to an archaic law against fornication to enforce his strict standards of morality, Angelo proceeds to condemn fornicators to death. One of these fornicators is Claudio , a young man who has had pre-marital sex with his fiancee. When Claudio's virginal sister Isabella comes to plead for her brother's life, Angelo's lust is aroused and he uses his power to blackmail Isabella into his bed. It's her virtue or Claudio's life. She threatens to expose him but is told "who will believe you?" Fortunately the Duke overhears. Angelo ends up in the bed of Mariana , a woman from his undisclosed past, Claudio is allowed to live happily ever after with his fiancee, and the virtuous Isabella ends up the Duke's bride” - source

 

 

Notes

 

Suchet’s wife, former actress Sheila Ferris, appears on the cast list in the role of a nun

 

Free text on line of Measure for Measure 

 

 

 

 

April 2008 © All rights reserved