Issues of morality, justice and mercy will take center stage during the Concordia theatre department's spring production, Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.” The play will be performed Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 6, 2 p.m. at the studio theatre in the Music Center on campus. Tickets are $5 and available at the campus bookstore.
The play is a dark comedy that follows the Duke of Vienna and his attempts to more strictly enforce the moral laws of the land through his deputy Lord Angelo. Lord Angelo’s extreme standards lead to harsh penalties for Claudio and cries for mercy from Isabella mixed up with disguised characters and double crosses. In the end, everyone’s morality is tested, and the Duke must learn how to balance justice and mercy in Vienna.
“The title of the play is taken from the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible, and the play uses humor in serious situations to investigate human behavior,” said Mira Wiegmann, director of theatre arts at Concordia and director of the play. “Shakespeare’s New Testament perspective seems particularly appropriate with the complex issues of public morality that continue to be current in culture today.”