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Beyond Measure

Published Wednesday 24 September 2008 at 18:20 by Kevin Berry

What happened after Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure? And in particular to Isabella, the virtuous maiden?

Bridget Foreman’s new play presents interesting answers with a final, although not altogether surprising decision. Previous knowledge of the Shakespeare plot is not necessary, but having seen this enthralling play, audiences will want to read the original.

Set in a white-walled nunnery, Beyond Measure follows Isabella’s thoughts and reflections as she prepares to take her vows. Mystery gifts arrive, supposedly from Duke Vincentio who proposed to her. Then a basket appears containing her brother’s baby girl. Isabella must care for the girl, for that is what women do.

Rina Mahoney as Isabella gives a compelling performance, with frequent lyrical movements, in what is an extended soliloquy on her identity and her right to decide. Foreman’s blank verse on modern day language succeeds in giving the play dignity without making it striving to be a sequel.

Isabella has been defiled. She scrubs herself and sweeps the floor, prays ferociously and beats herself. One of two further examples of self harm, early in the play, help convey her self-loathing.

A whispered soundtrack emphasises Isabella’s fears and memories. The nunnery is both her refuge and her prison. Projected abstract images colour her recollections, both beautiful and cruel. A technical suggestion to conclude this review - the single, floor to ceiling, nunnery pillar masks some of the projected imagery. Why not dispense with the middle third ?

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