Review: THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE THIRD - A New Take That Doesn't Completely Work

William Shakespeare's THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE THIRD, currently presented at The Curtain Theatre produced by The Baron's Men, written around 1592 and has been debated in historical circles as often as it has been performed. There has been even more discussion about the iconic play and it's controversial plot since King Richard III's physical remains were discovered under a car park in Leicester, England in August 2012 and reinterred with royal honor in March of last year. When Shakespeare wrote his play, 100 years after Richard's death and the rise of the House of Tudor to power, it was incumbent upon the playwright to cast the ancestor of Elizabeth I (Henry VII) in the role of heroic savior and the old regime shown in as bad a light as possible. The Elizabethan audience would have equated evil with physical deformity, so the hunchbacked villain was born. After intense study of the recovered remains of the king, including a positive DNA identity test, we now know that Richard suffered from a severe spinal curvature but he did not have any other disability. We know that he was also a well seasoned battlefield general who, from an early age lead the forces of his older brother, Edward IV, to put down rebellion across the length and breadth of England during the waning years of the War of the Roses. The play features twelve murders attributed to Richard in the five acts, including ghosts of his victims who haunt his dreams. Historians have outright dismissed many of them as Elizabethan propaganda and have cast serious doubt on the remainder. Shakespeare endures where history fails and the fictional plots, plans and murders make for a gripping story, entertaining audiences for 400 years. I will admit to being a bit of a 'Ricardian', (a believer in the redemption of Richard III as a man) and have devoted years of study to the subject.
Producing one of Shakespeare's 'history plays' is extremely difficult and problematic given the intricate political backstory. An Elizabethan audience would have at least been familiar with the plots and subplots chronicled in these dramas, whereas modern spectators are far less knowledgeable about events 529 years in the past. The production by the Baron's Men is interesting yet puzzling for several reasons. While entertaining, it is certainly not presented as a traditional tragedy. The script is a well blended hybrid of THE SECOND PART OF HENRY VI and THE TRAGEDY OF RICHARD THE THIRD that helps the audience with understanding the rather complex political background and Richard's rise to power. There is also judicious cutting to help the production come in at just over two hours in length. Directors Joe Falocco and Rebecca Musser have made a clear choice to downplay the tragic elements of the show and play up the dark humor, a bold choice indeed. While entertaining, I found this bewildering considering the dark nature of the material. Shakespeare's clever, often biting poetry leaves itself open to modern theatrical interpretation. Directors often take the scripts and put a unique spin on them. I always enjoy the creativity involved with a fresh view of such historic literature. What is most perplexing for this particular production is that there is a switch from humor to the dramatic late in the play. I came in expecting to see Shakespeare's second darkest play, I feel that only KING LEAR contains more real human pain. What I viewed was a show more suited in concept to a farcical comedy. Changing the meaning of the show may have worked but ultimately fell apart when Richard is confronted with his crimes by his mother the Duchess of York. The Baron's Men are known for their straightforward approach to the Bard and their reverential treatment of the classical material; this is a marked departure in style. As Richard, Andy Bond has a small hump on his shoulder and a limp, but it's there that the similarity to others who have played the role ends. Bond's Richard is flip and relishes his villainy, there's no tortured and vengeful man here. He fully commits to the concept and he plays it well. The remainder of the cast seems divided on whether they play along with the lighter side or to stick with the play's tragic roots. The leading women of the cast turn in uniformly good performances. Leanna Holmquist as Queen Margaret, Mindy Rast-Keenan as the Duchess of York and Taylor Flannigan as Lady Anne were all excellent. As Buckingham, Dave Yakubik is wonderfully evil when plotting with his king and tragic when he is ultimately betrayed and executed.
THE TRAGEDY OF RICHARD THE THIRD is entertaining as a whole, but don't attend expecting to see a traditional Shakespearean tragedy; go if you're open to experiencing the work with a different, much lighter view.

THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE THIRD by William Shakespeare
The Baron's Men
The Curtain Theatre, Coldwater Canyon Drive, Austin
March 31 - April 16

RUNNING TIME: 2 hours 15 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.

TICKETS: $10 Thursday, $15 Friday/Saturday - thebaronsmen.org