In 2001, the Poor Players began a several year run in San Diego as a collective of young actors and directors who were devoted to staging Shakespeare, particularly the less well known works, in ways that would appeal to contemporary audiences. They were led by Richard Baird, who often both directed and played leading roles. The company eventually scattered (mostly to Arizona, it seems), but a number of them are now back and making a welcome return. They have revived the production of "Measure for Measure" that brought them what was, perhaps, their greatest acclaim, and that production is now running (through August 16) at the Off-Broadway Theatre, 131 Main Street, in downtown Vista.

"Measure for Measure" is known as one of Shakespeare's "problem plays." It presents problems first because it can't be readily classified as a comedy, a tragedy, or a romance, though it has at least some elements of all of these genres, and second because the plot doesn't always make a whole lot of sense. It is also somewhat of a screed against the tyranny of organized religion when government becomes slavish to its values in policy-making, which probably made it a good choice to present in 2004, just as the George W. Bush administration was in full bloom.

The Duke of Vienna has, for reasons of his own, it seems, decided to take a break from his duties as ruler (perhaps he planned to hike the Appalachian Trail). He announces that he will be away and that Angelo will rule in his stead. The Duke knows that Angelo will use his powers to clean up the prostitution that has taken over the town, and he approves of this crack-down. But, Angelo also cracks down on any form of non-marital sex, and one of the first to be caught up in the sweep is Claudio, a young man whose fiance became pregnant. Angelo sentences Claudio to death, and the distraught Claudio sends word via his friend, Lucio, to his sister, Isabella, who has entered a convent as a novice. Lucio prevails on her to approach Angelo to see if his sentence can be commuted, but Angelo turns a deaf ear to her request. He seems taken with Isabella, however, and asks her to return the next day after he has thought on the matter.

Upon Isabella's return, Angelo still refuses her request but then offers to relent if Isabella will give up her virginity to him. Isabella is aghast, refuses, and goes off to tell her brother to prepare himself to die because the price of his rescue is too high.

The Duke, meanwhile, has disguised himself as a friar and has been visiting prisoners to see the effects of Angelo's action. He sympathizes with Claudio's plight and tells Isabella that he thinks he can help. He asks her to go back to Angelo and agree to his terms but to make arrangements to meet in a dark location and insist that there be no light when they meet. The Duke arranges to have a woman named Mariana, to whom Angelo had been betrothed, to take Isabella's place. By sleeping with Angelo, the pair will consummate their marriage, something Mariana has been anxious to do and Angelo has been resisting.

But, Angelo double-crosses Isabella. He plans to meet for their tryst but also orders his Provost to execute Claudio and bring him the head as proof that the deed has been done. Again, the Duke gets wind of the scheme and plots with the Provost to send a different head to Angelo. To make the ruse work, the Duke (as the friar) tells Isabella that Claudio has been executed but that the Duke is returning and she may seek justice from him. He also befriends Claudio's friend, Lucio, and learns that Lucio has gotten a prostitute pregnant. Lucio, it turns out, does not have a very high opinion of the Duke, and he becomes very free with sharing that opinion with the friar, unaware of to whom he is really speaking.

The Duke sheds his friar's garb and stages a return. He pretends to be well pleased with Angelo's work, and when Isabella presents her complaint to him in a public forum he initially rejects her story as being unbelievable. A friar appears to vouch for what Isabella has said, and Mariana comes forward to proclaim that she was the one who slept with Angelo. The Duke excuses himself and reappears in his disguise as the friar. In that garb he, too, vouches for Isabella's story. There is a scuffle, and the Duke's identity as the friar is revealed. He resumes his place of authority, brings Claudio out of prison, and orders Angelo to marry Mariana and then be executed. Both Mariana and Isabella plead for clemency for Angelo, which the Duke eventually grants. But, he also has Lucio marry the prostitute he made pregnant and then sentences him to be hanged so that she will inherit his estate. Finally, the Duke surprises everyone by proposing to Isabella as the play ends.

This is a lot of plot to manage, but the company consists mainly of Shakespeare veterans, and they know how to speak the poetry and to create characterizations that suit the scenes and gloss over the plot's inconsistencies. As befitting the company's name, the production is spare (bare bones sets, costumes, and lighting), and the eight-member cast (David Loar, Amanda Schaar, Mr. Baird, Eric Schoen, Justin Lang, John Tessmer, Sarah Hayes, and Neil McDonald), with the exception of Mr. Loar as the Duke, covers multiple roles. Each cast member contributes nicely to the ensemble, and Mr. Baird's direction does not let matters lag. What I missed was a sense of spark in the acting, scenes that ignited instead of being presented. This spark happened a few times, mostly as the plot climaxed in humorous ways, but it was missing for much of the evening.

Still, the Poor Players should be congratulated for mounting a tough play so successfully. And, let's hope that they will be encouraged enough by this production to re-establish themselves in San Diego and delight audiences anew.

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