Customer Reviews

Measure for Measure (Arkangel Shakespeare)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As with most of the Arkangel Shakespeare, this is a very decently done performance, with some great acting. (The music, which is modern and a little sentimental, seems to me a mistake.) But as with all the Shakespeare, I'm a big believer in the Caedmon recordings from several decades ago, which feature simply amazing actors of the last generation: Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir John Gielgud, Hugh Griffith, Jeremy Brett, Vanessa Redgrave...the list goes on. The Arkangel recordings have a lot to offer, but we ought to have the option of listening to the classic recordings of these plays. Protest to Caedmon Music/Harper Collins today!

This play is controversial because of the bizarre behaviour of the Duke and other characters but this production is sublime! By all means get a hold of it and be surprised how funny it is. Enough said except that if I could do it over again, I would buy the complete series of S's plays.

'Measure For Measure' is one of Shakespeare's most thought-provoking plays, and here we are given a solid, well-executed performance. The actors all have presence, except for Roger Allam, who handles the Duke in a morbid, 'serious' way (when the role demands a more potent and aristocratic demeanor), although Allam does attain a certain gravitas towards the end. 'Measure For Measure' is full of resonant insights into justice, sex and power, all of them rendered highly accessible by this Arkangel production. In short, a recommended recording.