Showing at the RSC until Saturday 25 October, a searing new production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, directed by Emily Burns. This starkly contemporary retelling frames hypocrisy, corruption and shocking gender politics firmly in the 21st century, holding a mirror to current political trends and asking us ‘Who sins the most? The tempter, or the tempted?’ 

The story unfolds in a dystopian neon-lit version of Vienna, which is besieged by immorality and vice. The Duke departs the city, leaving his deputy Angelo to restore order. With puritanical rigor, he begins to reinstate old barbaric laws in a bid to rid the city of depravity - sentencing young Claudio to death, for the crime of getting the woman he loves pregnant. 

Whilst meting out this most severe punishment, the key conflict of the story comes to light - Angelo agrees to spare Claudio’s life, if he can sleep with his sister Isabella, a novice Nun. Will Isabella relent, and sleep with Angelo to spare her brother? Or will her chastity and morality hold firm, at the cost of his life?  

Under the all-seeing oppressive glare of Joshua Pharo’s stark lighting design, the drama plays out. The limits of each character’s moral compass are scrutinized in the confines of the austere design by Frankie Bradshaw - one-part governmental administrative office, one-part abattoir. 

Indeed, the genius of Emily Burns’ production lies in its modern context which illustrates, accentuates and confronts the gendered power dynamics of the story with chilling familiarity. This is referenced directly in the opening moments - a slew of videos of real-world politicians mired in sexual scandal flash by. There is no ambiguity here, this production is unflinching in its criticism of political machismo - even Claudio, with whom we are encouraged to empathise, exhibits coercive behaviours over his sister. The messaging is clear: men’s control over women for their own gain is insidious, complex and far-reaching. 

However, the centering of Isabella and Mariana, the two female protagonists, foregrounds the experiences of the victims. They are extraordinarily empowered to take advantage of their dire circumstances. The precision of the performances onstage allows the story to develop effortlessly, as streamlined and sleek as the stainless-steel backdrop. 

Emily Benjamin’s Mariana is glamorous and forbidding, while Isis Hainsworth’s Isabella is authentic and touching, in turns innocent, wise and resilient. The men are fantastic too - Oli Higginson’s petulant Claudio, Adam James’s benevolent Duke, Douggie McMeekin’s buffoonish Lucio and Tom Mothersdale’s slimy, smarmy and ultimately sniveling Angelo all provide ample foil to further emphasise the female characters’ virtues.  

Despite the seriousness of the story’s subject matter, and the urgency in Emily Burns’ adaptation, this production is also funny. The humour which runs through the play does not undermine, but rather reinforces the message. It humanises the characters while casting a scathing light on the farce of real-world politics. Indeed, the corruption, drudgery and hypocrisy which first motivated Shakespeare to write this play are as prevalent now as they were 400 years ago.  

Five stars

Measure for Measure was reviewed on Tuesday 23 September by Todd Jennings, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where it shows until Saturday 25 October