RICHARD II: till 8 March
RICHARD II: William Shakespeare.
RSC: Courtyard.
Runs: 3h, one interval, till Saturday March 8 2008.
Review: Rod Dungate, 17 August 2007.
Stunning, satisfying, enlightening.
The RSC is into Big Ideas I think. Having ended the Complete Works Festival the company is embarking on the Histories project – eight plays in all. They’ve already brought the Henry VI plays into performance, now they bring in Richard II and the two plays of Henry IV.
Michael Boyd’s production of Richard II, the chronological opening of the cycle, is stunning. Shakespeare was walking something of a political tightrope when creating this play; it’s the play that establishes Elizabeth’s right to be on the throne – her position was by no means secure. Shakespeare has to come down on Henry’s (Bolingbroke’s) side but the politics of his play are not cut and dried (which is rather Shakespeare’s point).
Boyd matches intelligence with theatricality in his production. Our own inability to decide where right lies is fuelled by the two central performances of Jonathan Slinger and Clive Wood (Richard II and Bolingbroke / Henry IV). Boyd ensures that the divide between the two groups is 100 per cent clear. Richard’s court is all finery, poise, effete, distanced – ruling by right (God’s right); Richard is neither good nor villainous – just self-absorbed. His attempts to reconcile opposing factions are well-meaning but ineffective – he is unable to wield his authority. Bolingbroke’s group are dressed in black; these are the efficient people, the doers, those who care more about what they do than what they look like.
Slinger is showing himself to be a man of many acting skills as his work at Stratford continues. This is a slim Slinger – his Richard is fragile, vulnerable but not likeable. Then Slinger will inject a sudden, unexpected humour and we like him. He creates a character of classical tragic dimensions as the broken figure in prison. His masque-like presentation of ‘With mine own tears I wash away my balm, / With mine own hands I give away my crown . . . ‘ stops your heart and takes your breath away.
Clive Wood’s Bolingbroke is much more likeable – his energy is attractive, his naturalness is engaging. His single-mindedness is frightening, though; then again his humanity warms us to him. Here is a multi-layered performance reflecting the play’s complexity. Nothing is more chilling, though, than the response of this Henry to Exton when he brings on the murdered Richard: ‘Though I did wish him dead, / I hate the murderer, love him murdered.’ The exercise of political power, duplicity, pragmatism suddenly come to the fore as the play’s themes.
There are a whole host of excellent performances; Richard Cordery and Maureen Beattie’s Duke and Duchess of York spring quickly to mind.
King Richard II: Jonathan Slinger.
Queen Isabel: Hannah Barrie.
John of Gaunt: Roger Watkins.
Henry Bolingbroke: Clive Wood.
Duke of York: Richard Cordery.
Duchess of York: Maureen Beattie.
Duke of Aumerle: James Tucker.
Duke of Gloucester: Chuk Iwuji.
Duchess of Gloucester: Katy Stephens.
Thomas Mowbray: John Mackay.
Lady Attendant to the Queen: Ann Ogbomo.
Henry Bushy: Nicholas Asbury.
William Bagot: Forbes Masson.
Henry Green: Anthony Shuster.
Bishop of Carlisle: Sandy Neilson.
Abbot of Westminster: Nicholas Asbury.
Henry Percy: Keith Bartlett.
Harry Percy: Lex Shrapnel.
Lord Ross: Rob Carroll.
Lord Vernon: Luke Neal.
Directed by: Michael Boyd.
Associate Director: Richard Twyman.
Designed by: Tom Piper.
Lighting Designed by: Heather Carson.
Music composed by James Jones and John Woolf.
Movement by: Liz Ranken.
Sound Designed by: Andrea J Cox.
Fights by: Terry King.
Assistant Director: Donnacadh O’Briain.
Director of Ropework: Matt Costain.
Company Voice Work by: Alison Bomber.
2007-08-17 12:51:00