‘Measure’ a Fine Blend of Shakespeare

The Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company’s version of “Measure for Measure” at the Gascon Center Theatre features an all-female cast. As in this group’s past productions, this gender-bending conceit seems completely intrinsic to the material and lends new levels of meaning to a familiar classic.

Perhaps Shakespeare’s darkest and most morally ambiguous comedy, “Measure for Measure” presents a particular difficulty to its interpreters. On one hand, the play is a deadly serious examination of the corrupting influences of government; on the other, it’s a hilarious parody of the corruption of society as a whole.

Fortunately, despite a few lapses into burlesque, director Tina Packer’s thoughtful staging conveys both the humor and bitterness of Shakespeare’s intended dichotomy. Elina Katsioula’s set, with its vaulting ladders that seem pitched against the heavens, is ironically counterbalanced by Marianne Schneller’s alternately celestial and Stygian lighting. In a similar blend of the sacred and the profane, costumer Jeanne Reith’s monk-like robes gape open to reveal Frederick’s of Hollywood scanties underneath.

Among this engaging cast, two performers stand out. Although she is somewhat hyperkinetic, Karole Foreman exudes a sense of mission and vitality as Isabella, a nun who must choose between forfeiting her brother’s life and her own chastity. As Isabella’s lecherous tormentor Angelo, Vienna’s appointed ruler during the absence of the Duke (Fran Bennett), Lisa Wolpe affords a chilling glimpse of moral decay cloaked in sanctimony--the universal garb of corrupt politicians, past and present.

* “Measure for Measure,” Gascon Center Theatre in the Helms Bakery Complex, 8737 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends June 29. $15. (310) 578-5511. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.