It was especially interesting to see Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure during a uniquely rancorous election season in the U.S. and only two days after the UK electorate voted to leave the European Union, a campaign that was marked by an extraordinary level of deceit.  After all, this is a play partly about what we have a right to expect from our political leaders.  Is it OK for them to lie and to cheat?  Should they be held to higher ethical standards than the people they seek to lead?  And when they fail, as they so often do, should we forgive them?

This marked my first visit to the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival.  I can’t wait for the next time.  The setting was wonderful, with a view down the lawn overlooking the Hudson River.  The stage was nothing more than a square of dirt and the production had few props or costumes.  The result was focus in all the right places: on all that ethical and political intrigue and, of course, on Shakespeare’s beautiful verse.