Richard
III
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 |