With only a week left in Nottingham before it moves on to York, here’s my review of the Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company and York Theatre Royal’s joint presentation of Shakespeare’s tragic story of a conniving and paranoid king, Richard III.
With the remains of the last Yorkist king, Richard III, being excavated earlier this year in a Leicester car park, the East Midlands and Yorkshire are all abuzz with Ricardian conjecture. Where will The King be re-interred? What can we learn from the archaeological find and subsequent studies of the exhumed skeleton? What was this man really like? Was he anything at all like character portrayed famously in Shakespeare’s celebrated tragedy?
As shared a few days back, I was up in the Midlands recently on Richard’s trail with an itinerary starting out at Bosworth Battlefield where Richard met his end, followed by a tour of Leicester and concluded with a performance of Richard III in Nottingham. In my write up about the day (you can read that post here) I mentioned that ‘the Bard’s words had never resonated with as much relevance for me’. Still whether you’re coming from a day of headfirst Plantagenet immersion or not, this production of Richard III, with Ian Bartholomew as an especially slimy and pathetic Richard, is a pleasure to experience.
Key to me getting so much satisfaction out of the show was the work gone into by Director Loveday Ingram’s creative team. In particular, Designer Simon Higlet alongside Projection Designer William Simpson and Lighting Designer Mark Jonathan worked multimedia magic to enhance the action on the stage – sharpening the plot’s edge without distracting from the gorgeous and fundamental dialogue.
There’s a week left to see the play in Nottingham before it’s off to York for a short run there. If you’re in either area with even an inkling of an interest in live theatre or the history behind Richard III’s fall, I reckon this play is well worth checking out.
Richard III runs until Saturday 16 November at the Nottingham Playhouse (Wellington Circus, NG1 5AF). For more information and to book visit nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk. From the 19th to the 30th of November the play will be staged at the York Theatre Royal (St. Leonard’s Place, YO1 7HD). Go to yorktheatreroyal.co.uk for details.
Nottingham Playhouse
