●●●●●

Richard III is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1593 about Richard III, who was King of England for just two years, from 1483 until the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, where he died. He had usurped  the throne from from his nephew, the twelve-year-old Edward V, eldest son of Richard’s brother King Edward IV. Shakespeare’s Richard III is a Machiavellian manipulator who will do anything and everything to gain power. Perhaps Friedrich Nietzsche’s will to power concept could be utilised here in its extreme personal psychological essence, considering that Richard III kills everyone who stands in his way – until, that is, he is defeated by the Earl of Richmond and the crown is returned to the House of Lancaster, rivals of Richard’s own House of York.

Interestingly, in the Abbey’s latest production of Shakespeare’s play, the audience seems to love and sympathize with Richard III, traditionally portrayed as  a deformed hunchback, even though an opening soliloquy allows the audience to know his innermost sentiments when he says “I am determined to prove a villain”. He faces down any difficulty with his intelligence; he assures the audience – and himself – that he is playing the devil.

Druid Shakespeare: Richard III was successfully directed by Garry Hynes as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. The director brought a Shakespearean script back to life and the audience was captivated by all the minimal details of the performance, regardless of the length of the script. There is an interesting mixture of Shakespearean linguistic features, the futurist set, and extravagantly glittery costumes. They showed a contrast of renascence costume style and futurist mise-en-scene. There was a juxtaposition amongst the characters, who seemed to come from a different era compared to the medieval Richard III. There were tents made by lights – in one scene, giant white and red lightsabers on stage used to create these tents.

Other characters are aware of the situation and of Richard’s Machiavellian plotting, such as Queen Margaret (Marie Mullen), who whispers her prophecies as the play goes along. Lady Anne (Siobhán Cullen) had the opportunity to put a stop to the devilish plans of Richard III when he gave her his dagger, yet she did not have the courage to. This act could be associated to our contemporary social conditions around the world where tyrants are gaining more and more power while societies and people hesitate to change even though they are the ones who truly have the power.

The role of Richard III is stupendously performed by Aaron Monaghan. All the physicality of the character – the deformity, the difficulties to walk and stand, every little movement was portrayed to the highest possible standard. The actor unquestionably earned the Shakespearean character. Monaghan showed more than presence on stage, he was Richard III. When the play ended, he relaxed all the muscles of his arms and fixed his own posture; the audience could see the sweat and the incredible effort that he had put in for this beautiful performance.

In conclusion, this was definitely one of the most beautiful and amazingly crafted performances I have seen  in a long time. Garry Hynes explores the linguistics, style, and the actors’ potential. The director gave this breathtaking gift to all the members of the audience; you won’t be satisfied by seeing it  just once.

 

DruidShakespeare: Richard III ran until the 27th October as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.