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Richard III
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Nic Diamond
At Strawdog Theatre
3829 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
Call 773-528-9696, tickets $20
Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 7 pm
Special Industry nights: Monday Mar 3, 13 & 24 at 8 pm
Running time 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission
Through March 29, 2008
"Now is the winter of our discontent".
"A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!".
"Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
devised at first to keep the strong in awe".
"So wise so young, they say, do never live long".
---quotes from Richard III
Fresh take on Richard III speaks well
Strawdog Theatre, one of Chicago’s finest non-Equity ensemble troupes, has mounted a fast paced and fresh cutting of The Bard’s history plays Richard III. Lead by the handsome yet thoroughly evil John Henry Roberts, as the personification of pure evil---Richard III unfolds as a most articulate and compelling work. Director Nic Diamond’s competent cast wove the power struggle between the York and Lancaster families for the English throne into a worthy show.
From the early moments, Robert’s Richard (Duke of Gloucestor) outlines his evil plan in a monologue that gets us to almost like this charming but purely evil villain, we realize no one is safe. His asides to the audiences with their wink and sour face kept us intoxicated with Richard’s manipulations leading to killings that lead to his ascending to the English crown. Richard III is more than a flat symbol of evil such as the Vice character from Medieval literature. Rather we see Richard as a cunningly charming and most adapt and at language as a weapon. He uses his low self esteem and limp left arm to win sympathy then he cashes it in as he kills his way to power. Treachery, trickery and betrayal with raw brute force are his tools. He states that being “unloved” is the source of his immorality. Richard demonstrates how evil is used as a means to justify the lust for power.
With the help of the Duke of Buckingham (the pompous James Anthony Zoccoli), Richard seduces and lures everyone in his way toward the ultimate power. The terrific cast smartly becomes the ponds in Richard’s game. Filled with The Bards illuminating language where supernatural gloom and doom are played out in curses, dreams involving witchcraft and devil symbols, Richard III deftly demonstrates Shakespeare’s use of monologues, asides filled with rich language in drawing in audiences into the adventures of the quest for the English crown. We see several fine performances, especially from Jennifer Avery as Elizabeth and Janet Ulrich Brooks as Margaret.
I enjoyed this history play for its clarity and articulation. John Henry Roberts offered his finest performances to date as Richard III He has the evil eye, the self-loathing persona and the devious manner making Richard both engaging and scary. He gets help from James Anthony Zoccoli as the Duke of Buckingham. The two anchor a fine cast of non-Equity players who are both understand and appreciate Shakespeare’s language. Strawdog Theatre one more offers a terrific ensemble show.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: February 29, 2008
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