Reviewed by: M4M: an all male version of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure Brian D. Bethune M4M: an all male version of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure Presented by Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, Ohio. September 29-October 14, 2006. Directed by Craig J. George. Produced by Raymond Bobgan. Lighting by Andrew Kaletta. Costumes by Jenniver Sparano. Properties by Lydia Chanenka. Song Crafter Holly Holsinger. Assistant Director Maura Haas. With Geoff Knox (Angelo, 1st Prostitute, Friar Thomas, Aborhson), Michael Mauldin (Duke), John Paul Soto (Isabella, Mistress Overdone, Barnadine), Rob Mayes (Claudio, 2nd Prostitute, Juliet), Andrew Marikis (Lucio, Mariana), Ashley D. Davenport (Escalus, Pompey, Sr. Francisca). At a time when public opinion on sexual mores, sex education and teen pregnancy is supposedly divided between red states and blue states, Shakespeare's Measure for Measure seemed ripe for an up-to-the-moment [End Page 58] Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 1. Rob Mayes and Michael Mauldin in Cleveland Public Theatre's Production of M4M: an all male version of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. Photographer Steve Wagner. [End Page 59] interpretation. The recent Cleveland Public Theatre production of M4M promised to give the problematic Measure for Measure an even more unusual twist: using the title M4M (shorthand in personal ads to mean "Male for Male"), was a bold experiment in gay-themed production of Shakespearean drama. With a cast of six men taking on twelve male and six female roles (with all but the Duke's role being doubled), the production was at times inspired, but at other times amateur and uneven. The script, presumably adapted by director Craig J. George, was cut to two hours, with the focus being Isabella's encounter with Angelo in the Duke's absence. Where the promise of the adapted title indicated a completely new twist on this production, George chose instead to ignore the implications of his own M4M title and offer a fairly standard production whose only distinction was that the women were played by men. The most successful realization of the M4M motif was in Jenniver Sparano's leather, S&M-inspired costumes. Cast members each wore a stock outfit consisting of a billowy-sleeved gray tunic and black leather pants tailored to accent or distract from the actor's physical attributes. To these basic costumes, pieces were added or subtracted to indicate any one of the multiple roles played by most actors. Those with gym-built torsos were stripped of their shirts and given leather harnesses, handcuffs and other S&M paraphernalia in appropriate scenes. Female characters were less successfully costumed with pieces ranging from wimples to capes that were used as skirts, platform shoes, and fishnet tights. Loud, club-style, bass-driven techno music accompanied each of the well-rehearsed scene changes, and this contrasted sharply with the lyrical, romantic lute accompanied music of the songs sung by the actors. Costumes and music, however, seem to have been where director George's vision ceased in creating a consistent mise-en-scène for the production. No scenic designer was given credit for the alley-style acting space where most of the major set pieces were suspended above the playing area by ropes. The stylized, contemporary costumes clashed with the few set pieces—highly ornate, gothic arch-backed chairs and table. The only scene in which the scenic elements matched the costuming was when Angelo, bound in a leather harness and handcuffs, was suspended in a cell that resembled a bird cage dangling from the ceiling. As the strongest actor on stage, Michael Maulin not only bought the most life to his character, but he inspired and intensely focused the other actors in the production when they shared the stage. His command of the language, his physicality—even in the slight movements when he [End Page 60] was disguised as the priest watching a scene—lent a strong credibility and richness to his characterization and the production. When paired onstage with Geoff Knox as the sinister Angelo, the intensity between the two was riveting. Likewise, Knox made strong and subtle choices for Angelo and displayed a keen understanding of the language that informed many of the choices for his...