DR Jason and I attended a performance of a new play at the The Public Theatre last night called "Measure for Pleasure" by David Grimm. It's an interesting piece. On the posters for the show, there is a Parental Advisory warning of "Explicit Verse". It's basically a quasi-Shakespearian/Restoration/Moliere-ian/Comedy/Drama with a 20th Century twist. I'm not sure if it truly succeeds in blending a style of the past with modern day references and slang, but there were some nice moments along the way.
The cast:
Michael Stuhlbarg
Wayne Knight (yes, Newman from "Seinfeld"
Saxon Palmer
Euan Morton (who spends most of his time on stage in a dress)
Suzanne Bertish
Susan Bloomaert
Emily Swallow
...Handle the material very well - including some rapid-fire rhyming couplets and tongue-twister-like patter. However, they all also seem to come from a different regions of the British Isles. -Who knows? Maybe the "inconsistency" is/was on purpose, but I found it a bit distracting.
The plot has many twists and turns - MANY! - and I even lost track of one important plot device early on. I also thought the play was a bit too long. One act too long. The whole first act seems almost superfluous after the fact. And then the ending... "Where did that come from? and Why?" So...
I can't really give the show a pan or a rave at this time since it just started previews this week. However, I do think some judicious trimming would suit the piece very well. There are truly some long stretches in the play that seem long. -And, yes, I will admit to nodding off a time or two. -And I kept myself awake in the second act by watching other people in the audience try to stay awake.
*And the second act runs longer than the first act too, which also added to sense of "long". However, it was plotted better than the first act.
