NEW YORK--Shakespeare's Richard III is steeped in blood. But is Richard simply an innately evil man running rampant? The program notes for the Classic Stage Company's gripping production indicate that that is only part of it. Rather, the society engenders a bad person and allows him to get away with his dreadful acts until they impact upon them. But by then it is too late to correct matters.
But why is Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Michael Cumpsty), so evil? In his opening speech, he first expresses jealousy of the King, then goes on to say that he is so deformed and ugly that he is incapable of being loved by a woman. His whole body is twisted. (So is his mind.) Therefore, he says, "I am determined to be a villain."
He will set brother against brother; commit murder along the way: brothers, nephews; take as wife Lady Anne, whose husband and father he has murdered. Anyone who stands in his way must perish, for he will be king, perhaps as a way of punishing the world for rejecting him.
Late in the play Richard foolishly rebuffs his most loyal friend, Duke of Buckingham (Michael Potts), when Buckingham hesitates to commit a particularly distasteful murder. Thus Richard's dearest friend becomes his enemy.
It is the women of the court who initially point out Richard's treacherous ways. Queen Margaret (Roberta Maxwell, in a scathing performance), widow to King Henry VI, whom Richard has murdered, brings Richard to account with a blistering tirade. Queen Elizabeth (Maria Tucci), queen to the present King Henry IV, has no use for Richard. But arguably the most crushing blow comes when, on the eve of Richard's last, fateful battle, Richard's own mother, Duchess of York (Judith Roberts), violently curses him.
Cold and hard as Richard appears, he is doubtless affected by his mother's brutal words. Bad dreams wreck his final night's sleep prior to battle, when he will be vanquished by Richmond (Graham Winton).
Michael Cumpsty's Richard is cunning and intelligent. Cumpsty has mastered the text and made the character his own. My only quibble being that he has not made himself ugly enough. Richard has stated: "Dogs bark at me as I halt by them." That Richard should cut a repulsive figure is important to Richard himself as well as to others who deal with him. Cumpsty has merely a small hump on his back and a limp that diminishes over time. A fiercer appearance might engender more potent reactions.
The aforementioned Misses Maxwell, Tucci, and Roberts supply fine characterizations as do Michael Potts, Graham Winton (Clarence and Richmond), Philip Goodwin (King Edward IV, and others). The attractive KK Moggie as Lady Anne, and other roles, is a bit light vocally; more projection would be helpful.
That Cumpsty and Brian Kulick (also artistic director of CSC) have co-directed is a natural outcome of their association, which has encompassed four shows together. The production's style is terse and to the point. Mark Wendland's minimalist set design, all black and shiny and mirrored, with eight elegant chandeliers that raise and lower at particular points, and Oana Ban-Botez's effective costumes enable Richard III to illustrate the play's the thing…
Richard III
Classic Stage Company
136 East 13 Street
Tickets: 866-811-4111 or www.classicstage.org
Closes: Dec. 9th
Diana Barth writes and publishes "New Millennium," an arts newsletter.
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