Measure for Measure (The Almeida)

Though it is Duke Vincentio's play (handsome Ben Miles) it is Rory Kinnear's Angelo who is in a different play all together. Rory is the reason I go to the theatre. He wasn't in it enough, but the scenes he had were amazing; funny, creepy, intense, he's the reason Shakespeare wrote all those goddamn plays!

I have seen Rory Kinnear- the most versatile and talented actor on the English Stage- in five separate plays; I have seen him play the most excellent fool in The Man of Mode, I have seen him play the self-pitying wastrel son in The Philistines, I have seen him play the intense, disturbed and heart-broken anti-hero in The Revengers Tragedies, I have seen him play the piano and the trumpet in Burnt by the Sun and now I have seen him play sexually repressed creep. I am so turned on by talent. Rory is so hot!

I haven't been to the Almeida since 2004! I barely remembered it, me and Anna got great seats up in the circle and they were really cheap too, fifteen quid each, not bad for our yearly Rory-fix. This production was both funny and because of La AMM extremely serious! The supporting cast were great and got all the laughs, the set was not very innovative but I'm glad as it didn't detract from the words- that's what's important here, it's flipping Shakespeare!

But there's not enough Rory in this play, there's a lot of Ben Miles and a lot of Anna Maxwell Martin being so serious in this comedy that there are no laughs when she's on stage. The whole tone of the ending was changed simply because she was so straight, it was good though, realistic. There probably shouldn't be a silly happy ending after a play that's essentially about rape!

"And by the way Isabella while disguised as a priest I fell in love with you too! Let's get married!" STONY SILENCE Isabella gives a withering look, like fuck I'm going to marry you after all this shit! The Duke stands up awkwardly and changes the subject: "So... Let's all go back to the palace for a knees up!"