Uneven Update of ‘Measure 4 Measure’

Given the timeless reflections on political corruption, lust and abuse of power in Shakespeare’s last, most problematic comedy, Michael Winters’ trendy staging of “Measure 4 Measure,” at the Open Fist Theatre, is on solid ground with its parallels between Shakespeare’s profligate Vienna and our own sex-drenched culture.

Pingponging between hedonistic abandon and icy, merciless bureaucracy affords ample opportunity for lively antics and accomplished performances. Taking flight with the conceit are Patrick Tuttle’s punk clown Lucio, Adam LeBow’s cigar-chomping executioner and Marc Cameron’s cross-dressing (and aptly named) Mistress Overdone.

As the deputy ruler Angelo, David Castellani exudes hypocritical venom wrapped in officious protocol as he pressures the virtuous Isabella (Faye Jackson) to yield her sexual favors to obtain a reprieve for her condemned brother Claudio (Shane O’Maley).

The stylish trappings prove only skin-deep--a common affliction with exotic resettings. Castellani’s dead-on persecutor aside, Jackson, O’Maley and Dietrich Smith (as the incognito Duke) are often mired in incongruously restrained classical delivery that doesn’t gel with the freewheeling embellishments, undermining both realities.

Nor does the approach resolve the nagging flaws at the core of this morally ambiguous tale. Against the Duke’s presumed personification of virtue in disguising himself as a cleric to wander among his subjects, his own frequent lapses of humanity barely register here. His cavalier willingness to sacrifice a prisoner’s life for the sake of expediency betrays a ruler who governs only from the head, and his abrupt claim on Isabella’s hand puts him perilously close to Angelo’s abuse of privilege.

Where Oasis Theatre Company’s luminous 1994 production successfully extended its high-tech conceit into the play’s structurally challenged finale, this version runs out of ingenuity precisely where it’s needed most.

* “Measure 4 Measure,” Open Fist Theatre, 1625 N. La Brea Ave., Hollywood. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Oct. 21. $15. (323) 882-6912. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes.