Were Critics Pleased by Measure for Pleasure at the Public?

Part restoration comedy, part modern sex farce, David Grimm's Measure for Pleasure celebrates the bawdy. An unusual love story, with a transvestite at its center, the show opened its world premiere run at the Public Theater's Anspacher space on March 8. Did critics think it was a pleasure to sit through?

Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

William Stevenson in his Broadway.com Review: "While Grimm's characters are sometimes too loquacious and his use of rhyme is somewhat inconsistent, his heartfelt tale of love and lust offers quite a few pleasures… Grimm couldn't ask for a better production. Anita Yavich's colorful costumes are as florid as the language, and Alexander Dodge's sets are cheerfully evocative of the period… Under Peter DuBois' fast-paced direction, the actors get into the Restoration Comedy spirit and deliver the intricate wordplay with aplomb."

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times: "Clearly a labor of love for a playwright as enamored of the lively cadences of Restoration and 18th-century English syntax as he is of bawdy punch lines, Measure for Pleasure, acted to the hilt by a first-rate company under the direction of Peter DuBois, will tickle, offend or simply bore in measures that will vary according to your taste for blatantly vulgar sexual comedy. Mr. Grimm's studied affection for the genres he's mimicking is impressive. Previously he has paid tribute to the masters Marlowe and Molière. But the play is essentially a nasty comedy-club routine performed in silk britches and powdered wigs."

Marilyn Stasio of Variety: "In Measure for Pleasure, saucy scribe David Grimm Kit Marlowe has penned an extremely stylish and exuberantly filthy sex farce that's just the thing to get us through the dark days of Lent. Set in Restoration England and adhering more or less faithfully to period theatrical conventions, clever show sends up both Puritan morality and libertine licentiousness to make its timeless romantic pitch for guilt-free sex in all its permutations. Although the orientation of the comedy is decidedly gay, its cheery message 'Go be happy' embraces horny folks of all ages and sexual persuasions. This is an orgy to which all are graciously invited."

Michael Kuchwara of The Associated Press: "Measure for Pleasure is a delightfully bawdy comedy with a sentimental streak, particularly where true love is concerned... Grimm's language is clever-much of it is rhymed-and the tale mirrors today's preoccupation with surface appearance and gossip, mostly of a sexual nature... This type of comedy needs as much forward momentum as possible, and director Peter DuBois keeps the pace from flagging over two long acts."

Frank Scheck of The New York Post: "Written in verse, the play captures the conventions of its form in pitch-perfect fashion, but the effect is ultimately more academic than entertaining. Tellingly, the most effective scene is a highly serious one… Although Peter DuBois' staging and the cast can't be faulted, the lengthy play wears out its welcome long before its conclusion."