Measure for Measure

Arclight Rep’s production is set in a near futuristic, dystopian Viennese society where violence, addiction, terrorism and corruption threaten to tear the city apart. The Duke of Vienna, under the pretense of war, appoints Angelo (a strict moralist), to rule in his place while the Duke disguises himself as a holy man to spy upon his subjects. Under Angelo’s fundamentalist rule, law and order are restored at the price of many lives and civil liberties. One such victim is Claudio, sentenced to death for pre-marital fornication. His sister Isabel, a novice in a strict Catholic order and Lucio, a lewd, bawd of a clown, must sue Angelo to spare Claudio’s life. Angelo offers a counter proposal that exposes his moral hypocrisy and threatens to corrupt Vienna’s judicial and political establishment.