Richard III
Old Fire Station, 28/11/00 - 2/12/00

Richard III at the OFS this week is a very creditable example of student Shakespeare, both providing interesting insights into the play and showcasing some really excellent acting talent. Richard Brent is magnificent in the title role, commanding the stage throughout. From the beginning he uses his exceptional feel for Shakespearean verse and some remarkable comic timing to establish a real rapport with the audience. Brent's Richard draws the spectators into his machiavellian world, making us accessories to his crimes. He manages to play up to the pantomime villainy of the early acts, while later in the play laying bare the bitterness and insecurity of a man cruelly treated by nature and unloved even by his own mother - a man who by his own misdeeds alienates everyone close to him.

Lest Richard appear too black a villain, Ed McGown's production neatly brings out the widespread corruption of the times. To this end he elicits good supporting performances from Alistair Sooke, as the likeable but careless Hastings, and particularly from Rob Crumpton, as Richard's closest ally Buckingham. With delicious cynicism Crumpton draws on the humour in the text to great effect, but does not miss the tragedy in his character's final and inevitable fall from grace. Others, however, are perhaps less successful, as the comic element in the play occasionally eclipses the essential darkness of the plot.

But on the whole the play's large cast carry off their parts well. Jean Meiring and Tom Wood are good in the sympathetic roles of King Edward and Clarence. The female cast too is strong: notable are Jill Crawford as Anne Neville, who performs creditably in a difficult role; and Luci Millward, who, as a defiant Queen Elizabeth, is one of the few actors able to challenge Brent's dominance of the audience's consciousness.

If there is a downside to this production, it is that the visual impact of the play is hampered by an uninspiring set and unambitious costumes. Moreover, as in many student productions, difficulties are encountered in successfully establishing age differences between characters, and the impact of certain scenes is diminished by blocking which, at times, fails to meet the challenge of Shakespeare's verse. Nonetheless, a fine cast featuring some exceptional individual performances makes this a highly entertaining and witty interpretation of a difficult play.

James MacInnes, 28 / 11 / 00