Stratford Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino, chose to direct this 2022 production of Richard III himself.
His job cannot have been easy on any front, given that viewers of this video, expertly directed by Barry Avrich, offer us a reminder of the days when theatre audiences were obliged to remain masked through three hours (including interval), while COVID must have continued to impinge on rehearsals and performances of a staging first seen in 2019.
The opening hinted that his vision would follow the current fashion, featuring the obligatory Leicester car park excavation unearthing what were allegedly the bones of the crippled King. However, when Colm Feore’s Richard, Duke of Gloucester emerges, he does so in beautifully recreated period garb to inform us that he and his fellows were struggling through “the winter of our discontent”.
From there on, the actor does not put a foot wrong, which is some achievement given the infirmities that make walking so painfully difficult for any actor portraying the self-important aristocrat. His depiction of a difficult man is up there with the best, somehow effortlessly managing to combine malevolence with a high degree of charm, aided by a star actor’s impeccable comic timing.
While Richard is inevitably at the centre of events, as he cruelly dispatches friends, foes and relations without compunction, heading for the seat of power as ruthlessly (and duplicitously) as any politician today.
For far too long, those in his circle mistakenly trust and support the Duke who would be King, generally at the expense of their lives. Of these, the pair that go furthest before realising their error are André Sills playing Buckingham and Ben Carlson as Hastings. The only noticeable opposition comes from a quartet of ladies, each courageous in her desire to save so many victims, including two young princes and the country itself.
Jessica B Hill is Lady Anne, whose vehement hatred of Richard, the man who killed her father and husband, is somehow overcome on the road to unhappy matrimony. Less malleable are the trio who have lost most, “foul, wrinkled witch” Queen Margaret, mournful Queen Elizabeth and the sorrowful, anguished Duchess of York. They are respectively played by seasoned Stratford stars, Seana McKenna, Lucy Peacock and Diana Leblanc, who between them must be able to claim hundreds of productions and over a century of experience with the company. It shows in superb displays of acting virtuosity.
After much dark politicking, the evening builds to a terrifyingly conceived (by designer Francesca Callow plus composer, lighting and sound colleagues, Berthold Carrière, Michael Walton and John Gzowski), filmic battle scene, which seems to (but does not) involve dozens of warriors and makes the most of Stratford’s thrust stage. As so often with this company, the poetry shines through at the same time as the action and the verse speaking is almost always a model of clarity.
Antoni Cimolino with his expert cast, Colm Feore to the fore, has delivered a masterclass in bringing Shakespeare to the stage, eschewing the self-indulgence of directors’ theatre, instead letting the playwright’s genius speak for itself. As a result, this is yet another Stratford offering that is not to be missed.
This video is available on the newly revamped and relaunched Stratfest@home web site in assorted formats up to the crystal clear 4K. The library is expanded and the pricing is just £6.44 per month or £64.47 for an annual subscription. It is a great treasure trove that will give fans of high-quality theatre hours of pleasure.