Courtesy of Alan Call
Courtesy of Alan Call

In contrast to the tragic “Hamlet” or the comedic “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” is hard to pin down to a specific genre other than a “problem play” — an ambiguous work that is mutually fraught with violence and brimming with laughter. It is often the hardest play to perform due to the nuanced nature of its characters and themes. Yet on Feb. 12, students beautifully conducted the problem play within a setting more familiar to UCR’s audience — Mexico at the turn of the 19th century.

Now I know what you are thinking: Mexico? Isn’t this Shakespeare? Shouldn’t this be in some stuffy, British castle? Often people stray away from Shakespeare because his work does not seem relatable to the present. Yet, his work is relevant, such as how “Measure for Measure” questions what is proper and just authority via its characters, Angelo and Duke Vincentio. Recognizing the daunting play, veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and director Miles Anderson muses: “I wanted to take it from an Elizabethan setting, because it doesn’t mean much to people. So, where could I set it where religion and death plays a really important part in the community. So, I thought … I’m gonna set it in Mexico.” And it was a decision done right.

Set in Vienna, the play tells the hardships that a nun, Isabella, endures when trying to save her brother, Claudio, from a death sentence decided by Judge Angelo, who is overseeing the city while the Duke Vincentio is on a diplomatic mission. Not wanting to lose her virginity to the Judge for her brother’s freedom, Isabella is assisted by the Friar, or the Duke in disguise, who manipulates a plot that binds the Judge in an unwanted marriage and saves her brother. Yet the controversial plot brings up questions and conflicts on justice and death that are discussed throughout the play.

Waiting for the play to begin was no boring feat, since the detailed set design enraptured my attention the entire time. The stage’s overall pale brown palette, emphasized by tattered furniture and dry plants, was adorned with sudden pops of color from the carefully placed flowers. Props hinted at the Mexican town’s character, such as the table displaying bright chili peppers (later used as a gag) next to the forlorn prison bars that cage Claudio. Against the imposing cross that dominates the stage, the student actors and actresses further carried out the ambiguous themes of justice and religion by performing their characters as convincingly relatable via implied actions.

Khalif Gillet recounts how he prepared for his part as Duke Vincentio: “He’s a really ambiguous character … (yet) the most subtle details and lines can tell you like the biggest things of a character.” This attention to detail by the cast and stage members honed in on the play’s enigmatic themes regarding religion and justice. Introduced with ominous yet over-the-top fog, Natalie Zufferey performed the executioner, Abhorsen, as a menacing figure, with dead stares and a police baton she banged against the prison bars, while Eli Reich’s Pompey tinked at the bars with a chili; Ludicrous Lucio, acted by Sam Li, vulgarly pelvis-thrusted the air during his funny yet dense dialogue between the Friar, whose insulted expressions foreshadow his later actions for revenge.

While the acting hiccuped every now and then when a cast member stumbled on some words, the overall performance had a nice buildup to the ending scene, yet I want to applaud Victoria Ringo for conveying Isabella’s silent reply to the Duke with evocative gesture and facial expression under a spotlight. Kudos to you — that light must have been intensely bright on your face.

Their actions also successfully set the late seventeenth century play to Mexico in the 1910s. All of the cast members took up speaking the dialogue in a Mexican accent speckled with Spanish words. Bryant Glover, Hyuk Kim and Ephraim Eshete played their guardsmen roles as trained military officers with rigid posture and calculated movement — reminiscent of the then-heavy military presence in Mexico.

Personally, I was impressed by the creativity behind the execution of the transitions between scenes. It was moments like Glover moving furniture like he was following orders, or Aniella Fields, Gema Trujillo and Dana Pierce serenely singing in Spanish that created a flow during the whole play that I hardly noticed that time went by. This is vital, because UCR has a strong connection to Hispanic culture. Many UCR students are of Hispanic descent or have lived in Southern California for years, which allows students to feel that the conflicts in “Measure for Measure” are more relatable. By establishing a familiar setting, the audience could understand the early Modern English dialogue and sympathize with the characters’ struggles with seemingly old social norms, such as Isabella’s concerns over her virginity.

As Kim puts it: “(this Measure for Measure production) is kinda of a mixture of Shakespeare and … Mexican culture. There aren’t many chances to see this mix up.” UCR’s “Measure for Measure” production is a fresh interpretation that is accessible to anyone due to the artists — because this crew and cast are indeed such — and their constant efforts to detail. UCR, you are in for a treat.

Contributions to this article made by Christal Mims