Simon Godwin, Associate Director, London’s National Theatre, stages Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare’s dark comedy about justice, faith, power, sex, and family. Jonathan Cake, Cara Ricketts, and Thomas Jay Ryan lead a company of 12 actors in a high-stakes conflict of clashing ideologies–a diverse world in which incompatible values collide.

Godwin sets this urgent play in a modern city becoming increasingly authoritarian. The production engages audiences directly with the play’s clashing arguments. Audience members will enter the theatre through hallways transformed into Mistress Overdone’s brothel; some will visit a café where Mariana sings; and twelve will sit around the stage as a jury.

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Please note: Measure for Measure contains sexually explicit content which some may find inappropriate for those under 16 years of age.

For this production, the audience will enter the house via a backstage route within the Polonsky Shakespeare Center. Patrons are encouraged to come early to allow time for this element of the production. Please arrive by 1:30pm for matinee performances and 7:00pm for evening performances.

Please note: Seats in Row AA are positioned apart from the main seating structure and directly in front of the stage. Click here to view the seating charts for this production.

Run Time: Approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes with one intermission

The Bard, done right, is a bonafide good time, and a good time is had at Simon Godwin’s production of Measure for Measure at Theater for a New Audience’s Polonsky Shakespeare Center. Hey, if you can’t depend on a satisfying evening from a Shakespeare done by a reputable company, what can you depend on? As it is with all Shakespeare, the taste is in the take, and I was all about their take on this excellent, though curiously out of vogue, play. Like the best of takes, the production emphasizes a theme — here, the lecherous air of the times — and develops a reading around it. Though Godwin’s production may not do much to broaden the horizons of the play, and, yes, got a li’l gimmicky (only prudes find dildos funny), it certainly tells an awesome story well. Let me quickly recap the plot: a to-be nun appeals to a seemingly air-tight judge to save her brother, and chaos ensues. While this skeleton  keeps the play standing on two feet, this production distinguishes itself with some seriously great acting. First and most importantly, our nun gets the job done. Cara Ricketts’ performance as Isabella has absolutely no scent of pixie in her and totally embodies the badass the character ca …Read more