His Kingdom for a Horse

Seattlest has read or seen a great deal of Shakespeare's plays, in one form or another. But somehow, Richard III had escaped our purview, even though there have been some interesting interpretations of the work. So when we saw that the Seattle Shakespeare Company was doing their own production, we figured it was about time for us to see this history play---in the round, no less.

Like their previous production of Romeo and Juliet, the SSC's version of Richard III features some modern updates; unlike Romeo and Juliet, however, these updates actually work. To bring us up to speed as to where we are in English history (or at least, Shakespeare's version of things), the play begins with a reality TV-style "the last time on The War of the Roses…" showing clips of the various characters and their motivations, which we'll have to keep track of for the next few hours. Throughout the play, this screen is also used to show emails which spread unfounded royal rumors and allows for the sometimes gratuitous use of laser pointers. Additionally, the battle that takes place at the end of the play has been replaced with a televised debate, with the screen in the background illustrating sections of Britain turning red and blue as the debate sways the populace.

Another bonus in using the digital projector-and-screen is that the child actors playing the young princes are shown in pre-recorded footage. Live performances of child actors are always risky business, especially when they're speaking Shakespearish. Willy's words sound awkward enough in the modern mouths of adult actors, but when it's children throwing out witty barbs and plays on words, it's that much more unsettling. So having the kids in pre-recorded form was a wise choice.

As to the other actors, Todd Jefferson Moore (who kinda reminds us of a mean Richard Belzer) does a good job juggling the evil/funny-because-he's-evil sides of the titular character, complete with hunch and limp. The cast is small---seven people playing all the roles---so you've got a situation where one actor is playing two lords and a hired gun. That also explains the switch from battle scene to debate, as seven people running around would not a realistic battle make. There are a few acting issues: at the performance we saw, some lines were forgotten and/or flubbed (totally obvious, given the iambic pentameter). There was also a lotta spitting. Towards the end of the play, two characters speak with what seemed to be Southern accents, a complete distraction and miscue. The fact that our companion for the evening thought one of the actors was attempting a French accent highlights the extent of the problem.

So: Modernization, good. Todd Jefferson Moore, great. The bard, most bestest of all.