Synopsis At the age of only ten, Richard Plantagenet succeeded his father Edward III as King of England. It was 1377 and a time of great hardship following the Black Death, but Richard lived lavishly at home and, abroad, pursued an expensive and futile war with France. The taxes he imposed provoked the famous ‘Peasants Revolt’ of 1381 and his attempt to rule autocratically alienated both nobility and Parliament. Shakespeare’s loosely historical but theatrically wonderful account of Richard’s last days concentrates on his most fateful error - the exile of his cousin Henry Bullingbrook and the seizure of his Lancastrian estates. Bullingbrook would return to England, topple Richard and take the throne himself as Henry IV, setting the stage for the bloody ‘Wars of the Roses’ between York and Lancaster. The play’s extraordinary beauty and simplicity, and its study of a man reduced from – as he saw it - divinely appointed King, to a mere mortal without role, freedom or friends, put it among the most moving of all Shakespeare’s tragedies. RSC 'The Histories' Company
After a long wait Michael Boyd’s cycle of history plays has finally reached London and while the Roundhouse doesn’t quite have the intimacy of the Courtyard Theatre, it’s a pretty good approximation.
Richard II is probably Shakespeare’s most politically daring play; a piece that shows the deposing of a monarch that succeeds. There’s also an uncomfortable modern parallel that wasn’t there when the show commenced its epic run – the country’s bankrupt finances that force Richard into the confiscation of Gaunt’s property.
But the politics in this play often take second place to the more human struggle between Richard and Bolingbroke and the main questions that every director has to consider: how much is Richard a bad king? And while he’s undoubtedly a poor king, are Bolingbroke’s actions justifiable?
“Know you not that I am Richard?” Queen Elizabeth is reputed to have said and Boyd seems to have had the monarch in mind for his portrayal of the king: Jonathan Slinger’s white make-up and the ginger wig are reminiscent of Gloriana herself – although he looked and sounded more like John Hurt’s impersonation of Quentin Crisp.
But Slinger is too good to present the king purely as an effeminate mannequin. There’s steel behind the make-up and when he strips off his wig and wipes off his make-up in the abdication, we’re reminded that this isn’t just about the transfer of power but about the human tragedy too. Clive Wood’s plain-speaking Bolingbroke is less a manipulator than someone caught up in events beyond his control, one certainly got the sense of a man caught up in powers beyond his control.
Perhaps the best performance of all was Richard Cordery’s York: a manifestly decent man trying to balance duty to his monarch with what he sees is right for the country. Cordery brings out all the hesitation in York’s voice as he’s clearly torn between two conflicting beliefs.
Boyd has presented us with a society ill at ease with itself but not dramatically sundered. By the end of the play, society is as shattered as the glass in the mirror that Richard asks for. Unusually, Richard’s murder is carried out not by Exton but by the king’s former favourite, Baggot, a vivid sign of shifting loyalties and a precursor of what is to follow.
The staging of this production is superb and the acting matches the staging - strong throughout, a reflection perhaps of the fact that this group have been together for so long now. A great advert for the ensemble! Jonathan Slinger gives a fine central performance full of ambiguities. There is no doubt that all the great Shakespeare characters await him. Congrats to the RSC too on the wonderful theatre they have created within the Roundhouse. Please, please, please preserve it and perform there again. This space deserves to be used over and over as it suits Shakespeare so much more than any West End theatre. - Paul Wallis
10 May 08
Stunningly atmospheric production, clear as a bell and packed with great performances, especially Jonathan Slinger in the title role. At its best this should be a play of ambiguities that leaves the audience uncertain where their sympathies lie. The RSC manage this beautifully, with all the strength and energy of a company really flexing its muscles. A resounding start to the London run of the Histories - just a pity that each play is getting such a short run, making tickets hard to come by. However, there are returns most evenings so arrive early and get your name on the list. - Belasarius Mock
Purchased in 1996 by Torquill Norman, formerly dark after a period as a concert venue. An old railway turning shed. Re-opened 2001 after development. Closed in May 2004 for further redevelopment. Re-open June 2006.
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