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Richard III poster

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Richard III by William Shakespeare - Catesby / Henry IV

- Derby Playhouse. Directed by Mark Clements.

A hugely spectacular and large-scale production of Shakespeare's wonderful study of evil and the slide into horror that can engulf whole political structures. Eschewing period dress for 'near-future' modern dress, Mark Clement's production was staged on an epic scale while never losing the small details that brought home to the audience the 'banality of evil' - the late night knocks at the door, the secret meetings, the gliding henchman delivering 'snuff' videotapes following the filmed murder of rivals, the doomed Richard watching television cartoons the night before the final battle, the gradual morphing of costumes from civilian suits to uniforms as the apparatus of the state became more and more militarised and oppressive.

Perhaps one of the most innovative aspects of the production (at least for the Derby audience) was the use of video throughout the play. The succession of murders by which Richard consolidates his power - usually unseen and off-stage - were actually filmed beforehand. Each time a hapless victim was singled out by Richard, a grim ritual would take place - the victim was led away and their death was then played out on a giant screen as Richard watched. Finally, the small videotape was delivered to Richard, sealing the horror. The films were very effective and really quite horrific, though not without some macabre humour (Clarence's head on a plate beneath a silver salver ws a particular stand-out in this respect!)

The supporting cast were uniformly strong, even the smaller parts (unusually) well-fleshed out by experienced and skilled actors.

Sadly, the play's run was disrupted after only a couple of performances by the early and forced departure of our Richard, necessitating a hurried recast and another week of rehearsals. Our replacement Richard did a great job considering the circumstances, but he was very different in style and performance from the original actor, and the consequent rawness was all too apparent in the single week of performance that eventually resulted.

So much expense and effort had gone into the production for so little final result in the end, that the play was revived the following season, with much the same cast but a third Richard the third!

"Best on the night were Kim Wall as Buckingham, Celestine Randall as Queen Margaret, Michael Burrell as Clarence and Jon Glentoran, glorying in his sub-villainy as Catesby." (The Stage)