Shakespeare, We Have a Problem
Tuesday, July 31st by scott maliaA new Idaho production of Measure for Measure is taking a modern-dress approach to the text to bring out the sociopolitical issues raised by this “problem play.” As with any high-concept interpretation, the purpose is to underscore the play’s contemporary relevance, yet the approach takes on added meaning when dealing with one of Shakespeare’s “problematic” scripts.
“Problem play” is one of those terms that’s acquired a wide variety of meanings through popular usage (and misusage). Today, it is usually invoked to describe one of Shakespeare’s plays that doesn’t easily fit into the comedy-tragedy-history triumvirate. In essence, the problem is ours, not Shakespeare’s, as mixed-genre plays are harder to categorize. Originally coined at the turn of the twentieth century, “problem play” did not mean the tonal shifts in the script were difficult to navigate in production. Instead, it referred to plays that deal with a specific social or political issue (much like the early realistic and naturalistic plays of that period). The three original problem plays were Measure, Troilus and Cressida, and All’s Well That Ends Well. Today, it might include plays like Cymbeline (whose oft-questioned authorship may account for its tonal and structural shifts), The Tempest, or even Hamlet. Given that mixed-genre forms are so prevalent nowadays (see television shows like Desperate Housewives or Six Feet Under), maybe we should reconsider what is so problematic about any of these plays.
