Desperate Measures
Jermyn Street Theatre
27th November
5 Stars
Nominative determinism is a wonderful thing. The cohort of those whose name matches their chosen profession already includes Lord Judge and the poet William Wordsworth. Now we can add Ellie Nunn (daughter of Sir Trevor), who plays Shakespeare’s most famous nun Isobel in Desperate Measures.
Frivolities aside, this is a superb yet audacious production, roughly following the plot of William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. The traditional tale involves the Duke of Vienna taking a sabbatical and appointing his deputy to rule in his stead. With the Duke still keeping an eye on proceedings in disguise, the deputy becomes cruel and capricious, arresting a young gentleman and his fiancée for getting pregnant before they are married,. Angelo condemns him to death, and so his sister, a nun, is left to plead for her brother’s life and make a very dodgy deal.
Not only is this radical interpretation a musical, it also brings the story into the Swinging Sixties. This means that the young gentleman has become a pop singer and the Duke is a British Prime Minister who entrusts his power to a demagogic MP Simon Di Angelo (a nice nod to the name of the original character, Angelo).
The sixties provide a perfect setting; battles over morality and extremism were in full force, with the shadow of capital punishment still looming. The political rather than royal setting allows for some brilliant satire, along with the introduction of shrewd advisers and muckraking journalists. Casting Angelo as a moral demagogue also gives the story a real and timely boost, especially at a time when Donald Trump is enjoying such success over the Atlantic.
Robin Kingland’s script is superb, keeping the spirit of Shakespeare whilst taking the story off in interesting new directions. Measure for Measure is often considered a ‘problem play’, a mix of dark drama and comic relief; both themes come across loud and clear and are neatly intertwined. The script is littered with smart jokes – some of the gags took a few seconds to elicit a laugh, always a sign of a clever gag.
Chris Barton’s score is equally strong and varied, with sinister rallying cries (‘Porn Troops’), touching duets (‘When The Cold Wind Blows’) and amusing satirical numbers (‘Creative Politics’). The start of the second half was excellent, with a hilarious Gilbert and Sullivan style lament (‘The Jails are Overflowing’) followed immediately by some wonderful harmonies as Isobel, Milo and Di Angelo all look for divine inspiration (‘I Want to Pray’).
There are a few slight snags; the Prime Minister needs to give a reason to the public for his disappearance (in the original he goes on a foreign diplomatic trip). Instead, he goes on a ‘fact-finding mission’ for a few weeks, which stretches credibility; perhaps a phantom illness may have been more effective. One of the songs, a solo from the hangman, also feels noticeably worse than the rest of the score. Whilst it’s well sung and acted, the hangman is also tasked with rearranging the set during the course of the number, making the whole song look a bit like filler material.
It is a stellar young cast, full of energy, acting ability and singing talent. I could talk positively about all of them but a few in particular stood out. Charlie Merriman is a superb Di Angelo, perfectly portraying the character’s vulnerability but also his sociopathic nature. From his first moment on stage you could tell he had the charisma required to convincingly portray the extremist moral crusader.
The cast is constantly switching between a number of varied parts; Angharad George-Carey was eyecatching and charismatic as both the Prime Minister’s po-faced advisor and Chantille, a sultry prostitute. Alice Jay wasn’t given lots to do acting-wise as Julia, Milo’s fiancée, but she has a remarkable voice, which was given plenty of time to shine. Timothy Patten and Harry Al-Adwani were also amusing as a pair of lecherous peers; their duet at the start of the second half was one of the highlights of the show.
Chris Barton’s direction is slick and thoughtful; a final scene in which all the loose ends are tied up through a news broadcast is very skillfully done. It was not a large stage but it was very effectively used, with some action moving into the stairway at the side of the theatre. The three-piece band was on great form all night, well marshaled by musical director Jordan Li-Smith.
Desperate Measures is exactly what fringe theatre should be – inventive, energetic and ambitious. It really is a must-see, especially if you want a non-panto option this December.
Desperate Measures runs at the Jermyn St Theatre until 20 December 2015.
