 | Richard III |  |
"Was ever woman in this humour wooed?
Was ever woman in this humour won?" Act I, scene ii
Written: 1592
Subterranean Shakespeare ; April 29, 2006 Berkeley, CA, USA
Starring :
Reviewed on : 0000-00-00 00:00:00 ; Reviewed by : Denise Battista
| Director Jeremy Cole promises his audience an intimate encounter with
Shakespeare, and he delivers in more ways than one. His Bay Area directing
debut of Subterranean Shakespeare's Richard III is staged at the Berkeley
Art Center, a space that provides an excellent set for entrances and exits
with its perfectly placed partitions holding, let's call it "eclectic," art,
and hiding a welcoming violinist who accompanies the performance. The
exhibit is quickly forgotten, however, as the ears adjust to the looming
acoustics, and the action gathers in the room's center.
This play works in its moments of subtlety, such as the slipping off of one's
coat as an indication of his demise. The extremes sometimes get the better
of themselves. With a focus on the curses of Queen Margaret, played by a
shrewd Jean Forsman, Cole opts for a choral-like representation. Forsman
appears in bold throughout the play to echo her Act 1 curses as they
manifest. Her red taffeta gown, contrasting sharply with the contemporary
black dress of the rest of the cast, is signification enough (more than
enough) of her importance in Cole's interpretation. At times I found myself
questioning the play's title, contemplating the life of Queen Margaret a bit
too much versus that of our villain. This does not preclude her fine
performance, however, delivered most brilliantly in a monstrous crawl toward
the strong-willed, yet sacrificial Queen Elizabeth, played by Kerry
Gudjohnsen.
Jack Halton, who is also preparing for Shakespeare at Stinson's production
of Hamlet this May/June 2006, mastered the role of Richard's right-hand man,
Buckingham. Halton's portrayal reminded me more so of a Godfather-like
consiglieri than the more often played amoral mirror to Richard, but it was
not the interpretation that struck me; rather, it was the fact that there
reigned a true Shakespearean presence upon the stage.
King Richard's performance, delivered by Charlie Goldenhawk Reaves, captured
my attention in brief, yet beautiful moments. Cole seems to have relied on
a Vice-like interpretation of Richard for most of the play, portraying him
as a one-dimensional embodiment of evil. I would have liked a more subtle
and sinister volley between Richard's public versus private self, as it
would have spotlighted his overwhelming ability to manipulate both his
kingdom and his audience. But our intimate encounter with Richard rears its
head in two pre-culminating moments before its climax near the play's end.
Richard's two interactions with his mother, portrayed by Maureen-Theresa
Williams, cue the audience to sympathize with Richard. Reaves' subtle
change in demeanor, stance, and gaze in response to his mother's warranted
disapproval offers a much-needed understanding of Richard's physical and
mental sufferings, and provides a sad echo of his final monologue in 3 Henry
VI, recollecting his mother's lack of pity, love, and fear, and introducing
his determination: "I myself am alone."
Richard's prophesied unpeaceful sleep is a scene eerily well done. Beads of
sweat appear on Reaves' forehead as he tosses in his nightmare, and his once
sleeping army awakes in order to double as those whom Richard slain. In
order to clear the stage for Richard's impending soliloquy, each victim
retrieves his or her respective coat and blankets the sleeping Richard
before exiting the stage, leaving Reaves to burst into a most impassioned
soliloquy.
Though his living lamentations be long, his death is brief. Richard's end
comes abruptly, just moments after his bartering pleas for a horse. The
actors must have been following text versus Shakespeare's ever-debatable
stage direction, exchanging a Richard against Richmond swordfight (perhaps
for the lack of a sword?) for a quick slit of Richard's throat. His fall,
however, is countered by yet another moment of grace. Richard collapses in
a heap of mortality, and as an almost afterthought, his crown slips silently
from his head. Whether gravity or gravitas, it works.
Richard III is being performed at the Berkeley Art Center through 5/20/2006.
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Edwin Austin Abbey, 1896
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and the Lady Anne
Reviews
|  | Guildford Shakespeare Company
February 13, 2012 |  | The Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada
August 20, 2011 |  | Propeller
November 23, 2010 |  | Theater Basel
February 15, 2010 |  | Chicago Shakespeare Theater
September 30, 2009 |  | Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama at Bute Theatre
April 1, 2009 |  | Classic Stage Company
November 9, 2007 |  | Lupine Event at Project Artaud Theater
October 19, 2006 |  | Subterranean Shakespeare
April 29, 2006 |  | Royal Shakespeare Company
1998 |  | Fox Searchlight
1996 |  | MGM/UA
1996 |  |
1955 |  |
1742 |
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