RICHARD
III
William
Shakespeare
St
Stephen's, London
15 - 27 May 2006
The
Wars of the Roses are over and Edward IV,
the 'party prince', rules England.
However,
the king's brother, Richard of Gloucester,
is in no mood to join the fun...
Emerging
from the shadows in the spectacular setting of St Stephen’s,
Antic Disposition brings Shakespeare's darkly comic history
to life, as Richard scythes his way through a cast of scheming
nobles, incompetent assassins and wailing queens to seize the
crown.
But
as the body count rises, Richard finds that a throne founded
on blood offers little security...
May
26 2006
"The
early Victorian architects had a great appetite for the Gothic
and St Stephen's, built in 1869, is no exception. Its impressive
interior provides a perfect atmosphere for Shakespeare's wonderful
melodrama, written to exalt Queen Elizabeth's grandfather Henry
VII and to debunk and destroy the reputation of the "evil"
Richard from whom he had purloined the English throne.
Director
Ben Horslen and designer John Risebero have performed a miracle
of setting for this production. The audience is seated in double
rows on either side of the central tiled aisle, which is where
the action takes place.
Tony
Austin is hardly conventional casting physically, being burly
and decidedly non spider-like in appearance, but he makes a
villainous, crippled Richard who holds our attention and respect
while extracting every ounce of comedy from his wicked manipulations.
He
is surrounded by an exceptionally effective company. The vengeful
Queen Margaret is powerfully portrayed by Gaynor Bassey. Charlie
Palmer is a charming Buckingham who can go along with Richard
until the final unspeakable deed, and James Alex Hutchinson
rends our hearts as the unfortunate Clarence, doubling this
performance with Tyrrel, the murderer of the two little princes.
This
is a well edited and inventive production with atmospheric music,
effective lighting, exemplary acting and direction. Bless them
all for bringing back to life this magnificent old building."
Aline
Waites
