Richard III at Shakespeare & Company
Starring John Douglas Thompson
By: Heather Greenfield - Jul 06, 2010
An all-star troupe of Shakespeare & Company talent comes together this summer for an unforgettable rendering of Shakespeare’s gripping Richard III. In the whirligig of its ambitious plots, the beauty of its language, and the chilling magnetism of its haunting central figure, Richard III has proved an irresistible lure for over 400 years. This indelible interpretation, featuring OBIE and L ucille L ortel Award-winning actor John Douglas Thompson (title role in Othello 2008 & 2009), was conceived by Artistic Director Tony Simotes and directed by Jonathan Croy with assistance from Malcolm Ingram. Richard III runs July 2 through September 5, with Press Opening on July 9.
Director Jonathan Croy (and other surprise guests) will discuss the genesis of this production on July 20 at the Founder’ Theatre Tent, as part of S&Co.’s Tuesday Talks series of intimate discussions about the creative process with Company artists. (Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for ages 18 and under.) Additionally, the cast will lead a discussion and answer questions after the July 21 performance as part of this year’s new Wednesday Q&A Sessions, happening after one production each Wednesday from July 7 through August 25. (Included with ticket price for that performance.)
NEW this year: Feast like Falstaff! The public is invited to enjoy a specially prepared dinner every Saturday in July and August from 5:00pm – 7:30pm under the tent at Founders’. A varied selection of delicious meals, sure to satisfy even the heartiest appetites, will be prepared by Executive Chef Ron Werth and his culinary experts using the freshest and most delectable ingredients. From succulent grilled meats, savory vegetables, hearty pastas and salads to decadent desserts, this is a perfect way to enjoy the beautiful grounds and views or a chance to rub elbows with S&Co. artists in-between shows. Order 24 hours in advance to guarantee availability. Walkups are welcome on a space-available basis. Call the Box Office at 413-637-3353 or www.shakespeare.org to reserve your feast!
Thompson, whom The New York Times said “staked his claim as the greatest classical stage actor of his generation” last year after celebrated productions of Othello in New York and Shakespeare & Company, portrays Richard. The remarkably deep, once-in-a-lifetime cast also includes Shakespeare & Company co-founder Rocco Sisto, who this year was awarded his third OBIE Award (for Sustained Excellence over the course of his remarkable career);
Elliot Norton Award-winners Johnny L ee Davenport (Twelfth Night, Hamlet), Nigel Gore (Antony and Cleopatra, Hamlet) and Annette Miller (Martha Mitchell Calling); plus longtime S&Co. favorites Jason Apsrey (title role in Hamlet), Bill Barclay (Rough Crossing), Robert Biggs (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night), Elizabeth Ingram (Pinter’s Mirror, All’s Well That Ends Well), Josh Aaron McCabe (Les L iaisons Dangereuses), Tod Randolph (last seen here in Enchanted April), and Ryan Winkles (The Hound of the Baskervilles).
Simotes, originally announced as director of the production, withdrew during the process due to health concerns. He is expected to make a full and prompt recovery and continues in his day-to-day role as Artistic Director.
“Now everything comes to a head,” Croy says, referencing the play’s historical context at the end of the Wars of the Roses. “This is a unique period in time. Curses, which we thought were real, turn out to be exceptionally real. Dead bodies can bleed. Ghosts can walk. Dreams are prophetic. These exceptional, notable people are caught in this one moment in time in which the future of the world is at stake.”
One of Shakespeare’s first great plays, Richard III was probably written around 1591. It was enormously popular in Shakespeare’s day, and has endured as an audience favorite for centuries, its title role standing as a treasured proving ground for great actors. Richard III concludes the first of two four-play “history cycles” written by Shakespeare, but in historical chronology it comes last of all. The eight history plays depict a series of bloody disputes (The Wars of the Roses) between two branches of England ’s royal family, the house of L ancaster and house of York , with rival claims to the crown, culminating in Richard III. The historical Richard III was the last English monarch to die on the battlefield; his defeat at the hands of Henry Tudor (the grandfather of Shakespeare’s own monarch, Queen Elizabeth) is even sometimes cited as a rough demarcation between the Dark Ages and Renaissance in England .
The play opens as the House of York has newly displaced the House of L ancaster on the English throne. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a successful general in the latest round of the Wars of the Roses, is younger brother to the new King, Edward IV (portrayed by Davenport ) as well as George, Duke of Clarence (Sisto). Richard is “rudely stamp’d” with physical deformity, and views himself as unfit for peaceful times. He plots to clear a path toward the throne, displacing his own brothers as well as his young nephews he’s charged with protecting after the death of their father, Edward IV. Richard employs the help of hired murderers as well as upwardly mobile noblemen such as Buckingham (Gore) and Hastings (Asprey), who spy their own share of glory in their new patron’s ruthless rise.
Though Richard insists he “cannot prove a lover,” he successfully woos L ady Anne (newcomer L eia Espericueta, also featured in The Winter’s Tale), widow to one of his vanquished rivals in the late war. He is less successful with the other powerful and fascinating women in his midst—like his indomitable mother, the deposed Queen Margaret (Ingram) and his sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth (Randolph)—who in the end hold his fate in his hands as England’s century-long civil war heads toward one climactic battle that would shape modern English history.
“This play depicts the destructive power of a group of people all doing what they think is right,” Croy remarks. “We see what happens when you get two people of opposing viewpoints both doing what they believe is absolutely right. They feel they have justice on their side, they have God on their side, and they have a righteous sense of their actions. And that’s really dangerous. How many examples of this do we see on CNN every single day?”
Shakespeare was fond of hanging the action of his plays upon a skeleton of historical events, while fleshing things out to suit his dramatic (and literary) needs. The historical Richard III was likely not the sociopathic villain portrayed in this play—nowadays there is even a Richard III Society, complete with a New England chapter, dedicated to restoring the good name of the king—but that is of no matter: the play is a self-contained world that does not depend upon historical fact-checking to achieve its power.
Richard III _____________ At A G l ance ___________________________________________
CONCEIVED BY: Tony Simotes
DIRECTOR AND FIGHT DIRECTOR: Jonathan Croy
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND TEXT & VOICE COACH: Malcolm Ingram
COSTUME DESIGNER: Arthur Oliver (more)
SET DESIGNER: Patrick Brennan
LIGHTING DESIGNER: L es Dickert
COMPOSER/SOUND DESIGNER: Scott Killian
FIGHT DIRECTOR: Ryan Winkles
ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER: Soule Golden
ASSISTANT L IGHTING DESIGNER: Christopher Thielking
FIGHT CAPTAIN: Douglas Seldin
DRAMATURG: Katie Goodland
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER: Hope Rose Ke l l y
CAST: Jason Asprey, Bill Barclay , Robert Biggs, Wolfe Coleman , Johnny L ee Davenport, L eia Espericueta, Nigel Gore, L izzie Ingram, Zoe L aiz, Josh McCabe , Annette Miller, Will Palmer, Judah Piepho, Tod Randolph, Doug Seldin , Rocco Sisto, Enrico Spada, Andy Talen , John Douglas Thompson, Ryan Winkles
DATES: Previews: July 2, 3, 4, 7, 8
Press Opening: July 9 at 7:30pm
Closes: September 5
Performs: Tuesday through Sunday, in repertory
TICKETS: $15-$43 for Previews; $15-$85 July 9 and thereafter. Various discounts apply.
Phone: (413) 637-3353
Email: boxoffice@shakespeare.org
Web: www.shakespeare.org
Groups: (413) 637-1199 ext. 132 or GroupSales@shakespeare.org
Related programming:
Tuesday Talk with director Jonathan Croy
July 20, Founders’ Theatre Tent, $8 adults/$5 for 18 and under.
Wednesday Q&A Following the July 21 performance
Included with show ticket price
Feast Like Falstaff! Every Saturday in July and August
5pm-7:30pm, $25 per person