Theater Review: ‘Richard III’

NEW YORK—The first time one sees Kevin Spacey as the title character in William Shakespeare’s Richard III, he calls to mind a gigantic instinct, sitting in a chair and slowly untangling himself, spitting forth malice and venom as he does. Yet by the time the scene is over, the insect has become a man with the power of a chameleon, one changing his stance, attitude and movements, if not his shape, to suit the needs of the moment. He gives an absolutely brilliant performance in the process.

The production is winningly directed by Sam Mendes, presented by the Bridge Project at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Richard, the lame and hunchbacked brother to England’s King Edward IV (Andrew Long), has designs on the throne and is busily turning members of Edward’s court against one another. He strikes down those who would impede his plans.

One of the first Richard destroys is the Duke of Clarence (Chandler Williams), brother to both Richard and Edward. Richard has no shortage of allies in his quest, people such as the Duke of Buckingham (Chuk Iwuji) and Sir James Tyrrel (Simon Lee Phillips), men eager to advance their own prospects.

However, in his climb to ultimate power, Richard’s list of enemies grows ever larger and failure to kill them all may prove his ultimate undoing, as foes living and dead begin to rise against him.

While there is no doubt that Richard is a being of pure evil, Spacey’s performance makes the character fascinating to watch, his actions running the gamut from malicious to amusing and condescending to passionate.

A good example of the latter is when Richard woos the widowed Lady Anne (Annabel Scholey)—not an easy task, especially since he previously killed her husband. Yet in between his declarations of love and Anne’s verbal viciousness, Spacey is able to transform Richard into a totally sensual being, their scenes together becoming quite smoldering. It helps tremendously that Scholey is able to bring forth Anne’s bitterness, loneliness, and longing, making her scenes with Spacey totally believable.

There are also times when Spacey talks directly to the audience with a smug yet almost comical attitude, one that helps to humanize the character.

Richard III also contains some major political propaganda, expertly shown in an elaborately staged sequence where Richard has to be pseudo-convinced to accept the mantle of King. The entire scene is done with a broad nod to current political attitudes, which would not be out of place today no matter which party were to use it.

At the same time, Richard can suddenly change from a person of great power to an object of intense pity, such as when he falls to the ground while walking toward his greatest triumph.

Since Richard is the focus of the story, many of the other characters don’t get nearly as much exposure as one would like, most of them being simply pawns in his schemes. Indeed, some minor characters seem almost interchangeable.

Still, there are a number of supporting performances worthy of mention. In addition to Scholey’s aforementioned work as Lady Anne, Haydn Gwynne cuts a compelling and poignant figure as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King Edward, who loses just about everything and everyone dear to her before the play is over.

Gemma Jones gives an eerie quality to the vengeful and somewhat mysterious Queen Margaret, her curses being a sort of voice of doom to those who previously wronged her. Also quite good is Iwuji as the ambitious Buckingham and Williams as the Duke of Clarence. Williams’s final speech rivals Spacey’s in power and passion.

The staging of the production is just as important as the individual performances. Director Mendes opened up the massive Harvey Theater playing area and added an element of depth to some of the more powerful moments, such as Richard’s coronation and the final scenes of the play.

Mendes also allows Spacey to take the character of Richard almost to the point of overacting, such maniac actions brilliantly showing the intensity of evil and purpose in the character.

Also executed flawlessly is the fight direction by Terry King and musical coordination and sound direction by Curtis Moore, their efforts making the various scenes crackle with energy and suspense. Indeed, the entire technical team is worthy of mention, from Tom Piper’s set and Jon Driscoll’s projections, to Mark Bennett’s music and Gareth Fry’s sound. A special nod must also be given to Moore and Hugh Wilkinson, who serve as the musicians for the performance.

This is a production of Richard III well worth watching. It offers great insight into the issue of power, as well as shows its aphrodisiac and potentially destructive qualities.

Also in the cast are Howard Overshown, Jack Ellis, Isaiah Johnson, Nathan Darrow, Gavin Stenhouse, Michael Rudko, Gary Powell, Jeremy Bobb, Maureen Anderman, Katherine Manners, Hannah Stokely, and Stephen Lee Anderson.

Richard III
Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM Harvey Theater
651 Fulton Street
Tickets: 718-636-4100 or www.BAM.org
Running Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Closes: March 4

Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.