Peter Viney's Blog

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Emily Burns
Set & Costume by Frankie Bradshaw
Composer Asaf Zohar
Video design by Zakk Hein

The Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Stratford-upon-Avon
Thursday 25th September 2025, 13.15

CAST
Isabella- Isis Hainsworth
Duke Vincentio- Adam James
Angelo – Tom Mothersdale
Claudio- Oli Higginson
Lucio- Dougie McMeekin
Escalus – Sion Pritchard
Barnadine- John Vernon
Mariana / Francisca – Emily Benjamin
Friar Peter- Valentine Hanson
Juliet / Angelo’s Assistant – Miya James
Provost – Natasha Jayetileke
Camera Operator, prison officer – Kaffe Keating
Camera Operator, prison officer- Katie Singh

We had a spate of Measure For Measure before I started reviews … David Troughton was memorable in 2007, as was the Peter Hall production at Bath. Overall, my favourite was Dominic Dromgoole directing at The Globe, which I saw twice. That made much of the corrupt Vienna theme in 16th century costumes. “Brothels” dotted the standing area, and patrons were dragged in pre-show. Pompey toured the seating area asking if he could score some dope. Mistress Overdone and Pompey were hilarious.

So to this one, and that entire corrupt Vienna sub-plot has been eliminated. It focuses on the main theme, men in power exploiting women, and sets it in the political sphere. The play begins with video projections … Trump and Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Matt Hancock, Boris Johnson. (They skipped John Prescott). The programme has an essay on perception of hypocrisy. The public mind a randy politician (JFK, Clinton) far less than a moralising hypocrite. It is directed by Emily Burns, who after last year’s Love’s Labour’s Lost at the RSC, and Jack Absolute Flies Again at the National, is one of the leading current British directors.

There are changes in the order of scenes, and some additions. So this might not be for those who need Shakespeare to be totally faithful to the text. But I’ll quote the Telegraph:

It is indeed. I would rate it as the RSC’s “signature production” for 2025. The RSC is on a roll with its new artistic directors, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, and in a year of outstanding productions, this is the one that will define the year for us.

The set, for Acts 1 to 4 is gleaming stainless steel, with large LED panels above. The trap centre stage is used to slide the desks for Vincentio and Angelo into place, and for the prison scenes, the whole ceiling lowers and perspex screens descend. The bench seats delineate ‘the office.’

The start is Vincentio in his office, in a state of absolute fury. His misdeeds have been revealed, and in a major shift,his decision to disappear for a while and leave the state in the hands of his deputy, Angelo, is motivated because he’s been caught in a sexual scandal too. Not only that, but rumours of Angelo’s doings will give him a chance to come back as a model of rectitude. Thanks to Domenic Cavendish’s review for pointing out that part of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 121 is used for the scene. Adam James as Vincentio manages to channel the Bill Clinton charisma, and has a look somewhere between Clinton and Tony Blair. The hairstyle helps. Adam James was the Blair-like prime minister in Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III on stage and on TV. He knows the score. We once saw Bill Clinton after his presidency power-walking through Mayfair with his security detail. The charisma was so intense that people stopped to applaud as he passed. I can’t recall which exact lines from the sonnet they used, but the original includes these:

For why should others’ false adulterate eyes
Give salutation to my sportive blood?
Or on my frailties why are frailer spies, 
Which in their wills count bad that I think good?
No, I am that I am; and they that level
At my abuses reckon up their own:
I may be straight though they themselves be bevel;
By their rank thoughts my deeds must not be shown, 
Unless this general evil they maintain:
All men are bad and in their badness reign.

So Angelo (Tom Mothersdale) takes over, with his deputy Escalus (Sion Pritchard). Angelo is going to crack down on morality, and first up is Claudio (Oli Higginson), a young man who impregnated Juliet, his girlfriend. The penalty will be death.

Tom Mothersdale’s performance is extraordinary. Every gesture is unattractive, verging to vile. He swills water in his mouth, blows out his cheeks, twitches, belches and stretches. He even has two pens in his top jacket pocket, the sure sign of a nerd. Miya James, as his assistant (doubling as Juliet) gives a fine silent performance, sitting in the corner of his office, watching every move, as revolted as we are.

During this, the Duke has gone to Friar Peter (Valentine Hanson) to get himself disguised as a priest- a dog collar, purple shirt and glasses does it with a normal suit, so modern suburban. I suspect in tribute to the film Conclave, “Friar” Peter looks like Cardinal Peter in his full red robes. As a priest (more like a nonconformist minister) Vincentio can observe what’s happening. Sion Pritchard as Escalus uses his facial expressions to indicate that he is the only one not fooled by the disguise to comic effect.

Lucio (Dougie McMeekin) is Claudio’s pal – he also managed to impregnate a girl, though far enough in the past to escape Angelo’s morality crusade. Lucio visits Claudio in prison.

Claudio wants Lucio to find his sister, and ask her to appeal to Angelo for clemency. Lucio is scruffy and yobbish in contrast to all the smart suits around him.

Isabella is the sister, played by Isis Hainsworth. She is a novice nun, and it’s the day before she takes her vows. The nun who is about to admit her to the convent, may not even address Lucio, so Isabella has to. This Isabella is in calf length gingham dresses, and socks, looking like those Born Again Christian American girls who pledge chastity.

Isabella is usually portrayed in nun’s garb, looking as pasty-faced, plain and put-upon as possible, her appeal to Angelo’s appetite being her virginity, a bonus in pox-ridden Vienna. But they have dispensed with pox ridden Vienna. Isis Hainsworth was Hermia in The Bridge Midsummer Night’s Dream, and she carries over the feistiness into this role. This is also a much more attractive Isabella.

The appeals to Angelo are failing. On one appearance, his desk emerges from below, showing him enthralled by an executive desk toy. Yet Angelo finds himself increasingly moved by her presence. Claudio is getting more desperate for her to kneel before Angelo.

At last Angelo makes his move. If she has sex with him, he will allow her brother to live. Vincentio has been acting as a prison chaplain. Claudio is getting more desperate for Isabella to shut up, lie back, and do the deed.

Vincentio has a plan. Five years earlier, Angelo was betrothed to Mariana (Emily Benjamin) but rejected her when she lost her dowry. Mariana can take Isabella’s place, and thus get Angelo committed to her. I think this is where Vincentio added lines (maybe later) but he did a full Donald (Trump). This is not good! he exclaims with Trump’s articulate wide vocabulary of adjectives. I would have added This is bad. This is very bad. This is very very terrible to enhance the Trump effect.

The scene where he introduces the two women to each other is another stand out moment. Mariana is worldly wise, smart. She agrees, but her expression when she sees the yellow gingham dress she will need to wear as Isabella is hilarious.

The first half ends with the switch scene. Other productions use darkness. This is way better and fully lit.

Isabella undoes Angelo’s shirt, ties his hand then blindfolds him, as if a sex game. Then Mariana takes over. This is all played to a loud recording of Elvis Presley singing Can’t Help Falling In Love. Tying his hands also gets over the point that Isabella has curly hair (which he has stroked) while Mariana’s hair is shorter and straight.

Note that if you’re on the benches facing out, you’re outside the office, as above.

After the interval, we begin with Isabella at a sink scrubbing her mouth (she had had to kiss him to get it started) and washing her face.

Angelo is going to have Claudio killed anyway and sends a message to the provost (Natasha Jayetileke) ordering his death. The provost daren’t refuse or she will die too.

Vincentio intervenes. They can substitute the drunken Barnadino (John Vernon) for Claudio. Vernon has a short but memorable cameo as the prisoner of seven years who declines to be executed today – played out to a soundtrack of prisoners shouting.

There is the comic plot of Lucio bad-mouthing Vincentio to the disguised Vincentio. It’s aided by Lucio doing a roll up at the time, though whether it’s tobacco or not, we can’t see. He will in turn, badmouth the priest when Vincentio removes his disguise. There will be comeuppance later.

There is a terrific Isabella / Claudio scene, possibly earlier, where Claudio goes into total fury because she values her immortal soul (thus chastity) more than his life. The best Claudio we’ve seen too, as he throws his food tray at the perspex wall.

They decide to substitute a prisoner who has died earlier that day for Claudio – Angelo has demanded to see the body. In every other version this is ‘the head’ but body fits and they show the body in a white body bag on a trolley, and Angelo is too squeamish to do more than glance.

There is complexity. We have to wonder why Vincentio continues to play the distraught Isabella along that Claudio is dead.

Act 5 of the play is the long revelation. The set lifts to reveal steps, two camera operators come on, and the scene is played throughout to huge video screen close ups. This works superbly in that this is the public revelation of scandal in all its detail.

This should be played out on TV. The key line of the play is Angelo’s convinced No one will believe thee, Isabella. That’s the one all these men of power have used. Seeing the faces in tight close up, Angelo’s swagger then eventual horror at being caught out, Isabella’s outraged innocence is a major bonus. Some reviews didn’t like the video. We thought it essential.

It’s a long scene as all the loose ends are tied, and of course the sex with Mariana had been filmed. There is no fond reunion with Claudio in this version, though he appears. The issue is Shakespeare’s ending where after all the trickery that Vincentio uses in this scene to play with their emotions, Isabella finally agrees to marry the Duke. Not here. Not at all. No plot spoiler. It’s a better ending than Shakespeare wrote AND chimes in with real events.

OVERALL

A definitive five star.
*****

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID

Five star
Arifa Akbar, The Guardian, *****
Nick Wayne, West End Best Friends, *****
Hollie, Theatre & Tonic *****
Steve Sutherland, Stratford Herald *****
James Garrington, Reviews Hub (4.5) ****1/2
Four Star
Domenic Cavendish, Telegraph ****
The Times ****
Dave Farnoli, The Stage ****

LINKS ON THIS BLOG

MEASURE FOR MEASURE
Measure for Measure, RSC 2012
Measure for Measure, Globe 2015
Measure for Measure, Young Vic, 2015
Measure For Measure, RSC 2019
Measure For Measure, RSC 2025

EMILY BURNS (DIRECTOR)
Measure for Measure, RSC 2025
Love’s Labour’s Lost, RSC 2024
Dear Octopus, National Theatre, 2024
Jack Absolute Flies again, National Theatre 2022 (Director)
Romeo & Juliet National Theatre 2021 streamed (Associate Director)

ISIS HAINSWORTH
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Bridge 2019 (Hermia)

ADAM JAMES
Much Ado About Nothing, Wyndhams 2011
King Charles III, Almeida & West End 2016
An Enemy of the People, Ibsen, Chichester 2016

TOM MOTHERSDALE
King Lear (Frank Langella), Chichester 2013

DOUGIE McMEEKIN
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Young Vic 2017