Measure for Measure, Young Vic ***

2015 seems a popular year for Shakespeare's problem play. First, Cheek by Jowl's fierce production in Russian played at the Barbican. Next, Dromgoole's out-and-out comedy version is about to close at the Globe. At the Young Vic, I don't quite know what Joe Hill-Gibbins has done with Measure for Measure. The symbolism feels more prevalent, whether that be this production or the amount of time I have spent watching this play. Lucio's devilish qualities are enhanced by the fiery costume from Nicky Gillibrand whilst Isabella and Angelo felt very much like Adam and Eve brought before the seemingly omnipresent and omniscient, if not quite omnibenevolant Duke for judgement. I feel for the people who sourced the props, who must have felt very awkward walking into a shop in Soho and requesting about a hundred sex dolls. These represent the sin within Vienna and the way each character treats them in the opening scene tells us about that character in one of  the few good directorial decisions from Joe Hill-Gibbins. Escalus knocks them out the way; Angelo tiptoes around them whilst the Duke steps on them. It all goes downhill from there. Video is a wonderful tool if used to enhance the action on stage. However, when half of the action takes place out of sight with a camera (as it is with Chris Kondeck's video), it becomes no better than an amateur attempt at live cinema. When Pompey (played by Tom Edden as an irksome and seedy American) is wondering round with the dolls with no effect other than cheap jokes karts totally with the serious and meaningful aesthetic of Miriam Buether's design. The klaxon whenever the prison door is opened becomes infuriating whilst Marianna's obsession feels that it comes from a sane place which is challenging to comprehend. As far as the acting is concerned, whilst there are decent performances on stage, there is nothing exceptional about a single member of the cast. As the last of the Measure for Measure's, you can't help but compare them to far superior performances in the previous two versions. Romola Garai, whilst impressive, can feel slightly trapped in the character of Isabella, yet there is real emotion and a drive to her. Paul Ready's Angelo simply isn't interesting enough. He is neither as grotesque as Andrei Kuzichev nor as morally righteous as Kurt Egyiawan. Occasionally it feels like a child is at the helm of Vienna. Dubinsky Varla's Duke is a complex character but frustrated when under the camera lens. He also doesn't have a clear identity yet (it was only the fourth performance). At the Globe, whilst the decision to cast Dominic Rowan's Duke as a bumbling fool was midguided, at least it gave him axle are role in the narrative. Varla feels secondary here, with his manipulation lacking a clear motive. This is a production that wants to be bold and striking yet feels oddly lost in trying to be so different.