STAGE REVIEW : Students’ ‘Measure for Measure’ Falls Short

Shakespeare can be a rite of passage for a young actor. Once he masters the rhythmic nuances of the language (no small feat) and liberates the dimensions of the characters (no small challenge), he’s accomplished something.

But that doesn’t happen often, at least not in the learning stages of an actor’s career. Even for the best and the brightest, Shakespeare can be reduced to an exercise in toil and trouble. The rite of passage becomes just a route back to where you started, to try again.

A case in point is Rancho Santiago College’s “Measure for Measure,” one of Shakespeare’s more intriguing and demanding plays. In attempting this black comedy about political abuse and moral hypocrisy, Rancho Santiago is doing what it should--exposing its students to difficult classics.

But the results are not satisfying. The second act is considerably more effective than the plodding first, as director Joe Olivieri energizes the pace and massages the comic muscle of “Measure for Measure.” But there is still an overriding problem: the acting.

Shakespeare’s rich characters just don’t come alive. The cast seems stumped at almost every turn. Angelo, the sanctimonious governor who falls from grace when he compromises a young woman, is potentially a character of sweeping complexity. He should embody the paradox of living during a devout epoch while beset by none-too-spiritual passions.

But at Rancho Santiago, Angelo is not much more than a sullen pedant who makes mistakes by acting on his impulses. When he closes Vienna’s brothels, creating chaos throughout the city, he is merely a lousy administrator. And when he pushes Isabella toward his bed in exchange for freeing her condemned brother, he seems like someone who just can’t keep his hormones in check.

As for Isabella, the characterization doesn’t get much beyond the flustered stage. The moments when she realizes Angelo’s intentions and must decide whether to give in or maintain her pious virginity can be dynamic, but not here.

These pivotal portrayals are measured by missed opportunities; the same can be said for most of the other performances. There is at least one exception, though. Keith Dillon knows what’s behind Lucio and turns this meddling wiseacre into a pretty funny sidelight.

This production has a couple of other good points as well. Karen J. Weller’s sensible costumes appropriately re-create the era, and Steven T. Howell’s lighting (using backdrop projections to convey various times of the day) expressively sets the scenes.

“MEASURE FOR MEASURE”

A Rancho Santiago Production of William Shakespeare’s play. Directed by Joe Olivieri. With Kevin Visbal, Kevin Jones, Cole Andersen, Phillip Beck, Jane Hebson, Keith Dillon, Christopher Blake, Judy Orlandella, Andre De Leon, Milton Allen, Heidi Moore, Ron McPherson, Carrie White, Jo Bond, Steve Willis, Tim Gallagher, Susan Sheakley and Kevin Bossenmeyer. Sets and lighting by Steven T. Howell. Costumes by Karen J. Weller. Plays Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Phillips Hall at the corner of 17th and Bristol streets in Santa Ana. Tickets: $4 and $5. (714) 667-3163.