A Searing “Richard III” at Shakespeare & Co Reviewed

John Douglas Thompson as Richard III. All photos by Kevin Sprague.

Richard III is as much about deeds as it is about words. Shakespeare has ensured that the evil this unfortunate human being visited on his family lives forever. This tale about the beast who would be king is searing, chilling and – truth be told – marvelously inaccurate. Richard was an outcast, and acts like one in the play. History books are not as damning, No matter, to theatre-goers, the play’s the thing and most people’s opinion of the malevolent King is based on seeing it.

This tale springs to life with a large cast headed by John Douglas Thompson. His Richard III will be seared into the memory of any person lucky enough to see it. Thompson lives up to his reputation as one of the greatest actors of his generation.

Richard's deadly plots sweep through the royal court.

The fresh new production directed by Jonathan Croy is a wondrous thing, for on the surface it appears to be a traditional rendering complete with 16th Century setting and costumes. The words are all there, too, the glorious verse of Shakespeare from which so many common phrases have emerged into everyday english. Still, for all the expected trappings of Elizabethan England, there is a concept underlying this production that shapes its impact. Credit that to Tony Simotes who adapted Richard III for the company, then fell ill. The actual staging was done by the perceptive Croy and the assistant director Malcolm Ingram.

This Richard III is nothing short of stunning. Gorgeously visual, it is so filled with action that one has little time to contemplate the costumes and other production details. Swords flash, knives are plunged, heads are chopped, and deceptions swirl, all to the drumbeats and trumpets of royal houses at war. Scott Killian’s palette of sound subtly, and effectively bring both the battles and the bitterness behind them to life.

Richard and Elizabeth.

In a company of great actors, John Douglas Thompson as Richard simply dominates the stage when he is present, and leaves a vacuum when he is not. The twenty or so other actors are hard pressed to wrest the spotlight from him, but several do it magnificently. Annette Miller as Duchess of York plays the mother who bore Richard, born with a hunchback, a withered arm, and gimp leg. She was as much damaged during the childbirth as was he. Here Thompson and Miller unlock the destructive relationship of a mother and child who never loved one another. In the unique approach this company takes, we are encouraged to see not only what they do to each other, but why.

The brilliance of John Douglas Thompson in the role of Richard equals that of his Othello seen in earlier seasons. Watching him, I tried to determine what it is about his acting that is so riveting. It is true that part of it is the training he received, and this recent interview with him revealed that another part is the diligent work he did to understand the psychology of Richard, but even so, the most important part of it is just plain him. His vocal register and range is in the perfect place, his enunciation flawless, his projection to the furthest seat stunning. (Wish that could be said about all actors.) That each and every word is perfectly uttered makes it easy for the novice to follow the sometimes challenging Bard.

In a daring move, Richard's famous opening lines were spoken from a prone position.

There too is his willingness to do the unexpected, and opening night he did not disappoint us. When the lights first went up we discover Richard, flat on his back on the stage. From that prone position he delivers the famous “Winter of Discontent” speech while laying down. That was a first, as not a single other actor in memory would surrender his greatest moment in the spotlight for such a dramatic effect. Halfway through the speech, he gets up, slowly, deliberately, and in so doing, reveals his deformities, one by one. If there be magic moments in theatre, this was one of them.

In the second act, Richard enters the theatre from the back of the audience, accompanied by the Lord Mayor of London, played by the equally charismatic Johnny Lee Davenport. Here those of us watching are encouraged to chant and cheer, supporting Richard’s quest for the throne, and the two move down the aisle, smiling and shaking hands with us as he passes. It underscored the point that, in the end, Richard was a politician. A ruthless, deadly politician.

Around Thompson’s Richard a veritable army of actors comes and goes as he dispatches one or another to their untimely deaths. Making a good showing before losing their perch on life were Rico Sisto as the Duke of Clarance and the always wonderful Nigel Gore as the Duke of Buckingham who was, for a time, the future King’s loyal follower and happily did his dirty work. As Lord Hastings, Jason Asprey has the bad luck to not only get beheaded, but to have it kicked around like a soccer ball by Richard. I can’t recall a horror flick with a more repellant scene.

Tod Randolph as Queen Elizabeth faces the loss of her family because of Richard..

Likewise Tod Randolph as Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth Ingram as Queen Margaret, Leia Espericueta as Lady Anne and Zoe Laiz as Young Elizabeth contend with the havoc created in their lives by the ruthless Richard. Later, in their lamentation scene, several of the ladies literally mop up the floor with their costumes as they provide a more Mediterranean than English version of weeping and wailing in misery. The histrionics were a bit much.

Richard III is arguably the most cinematic of the Shakespeare plays, with rapidly changing scenes, conveyed in a live performance, without the close-ups. The lighting by Les Dickert enhanced the filmic effect, and like the costumes, added another layer to the complexity of the production. There were at least two missed light cues, however, which seems impossible in an age of computerized lighting boards. So the only cause I can fathom is that some of the instrument’s bulbs had burned out. With Shakespeare & Company watching its pennies, it may have foregone the expense of re-bulbing this year. Although theatre lights don’t normally burn out (they grow dimmer) it happens.

Richard has others do his dirty work.

With the exception of the six large rolling T Shaped arches, this was what has by now come to be called a “bare pipe” production. Often treated with disdain by veteran critics, it’s easy to understand both their function and on the other hand, their necessity.

What the pipes are attempting to do is recreate the form and shape of an Elizabethan theatre like the Old Globe, in a contemporary building constructed at a fraction of the cost of a genuine reproduction, The pipes, then are sort of an impressionist take on the balconies and doors in the original theatre, offering the same entrances and exits, nooks and crannies for speeches and movement that you would have witnessed in Shakespeare’s time,

The problem arises when the imagination is required to suspend disbelief and return to an earlier age. There were no such pipes back then, and in truth, they look like half-finished construction scaffolding. While it would not be fair to expect that problem to be addressed anytime soon, it at least helps to know how it likely came about.

Working with such limitations are just part of being an actor. Company members made such concerns irrelevant as the tale of Richard III unfolded. From the opening scene’s monologue to the ghostly visits of his victims on the eve of battle, to the the brilliant swordplay of the final scenes (choeographed by Ryan Winkles) this is a Shakespeare for the ages. Don’t let a few bare pipes deter you, an equally great Richard III will not come our way again soon.

Shakespeare & Company presents The Life and Death of King Richard III by William Shakespeare, conceived and adapted by Tony Simotes, Set and Props by Patrick Brennan, Costume Design by Arthur Oliver, Lighting Design by Les Dickert, Composer and Sound Designer Scott Kilian, Fight Choreography by Ryan Winkles, Assistant Director Malcolm Ingram, Production Stage Manager Hope Rose Kelly, Directed by Jonathan Croy. Production sponsored by Rebecca and Nathan Milikowsky.
Cast: Json Asprey, Bill Barclay, Robert Biggs, Wolfe Coleman, Johnny Lee Davenport, Leia Espericueta, Nigel Gore, Elizabeth Ingram, Zoe Laiz, Josh Aaron McCabe, Anette Miller, William Palmer, Judah Piepho, Tod Randolph, Douglas Seldin, Rocco Sisto, Enrico Spada, Andy Talen, John Douglas Thompson, Ryan Winkles.
At the Founders Theatre, Lenox, MA, July 2- September 5, 2010. About three hours with one fifteen minute intermission. Information: www.shakespeare.org