Richard lll
Aug. 19th, 2015 03:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rhythmaningI've just been to a one-woman performance of Richard lll. How does one woman perform a play with such a large cast? By enrolling the audience as dumb extras! (I was Lord Hastings.)
It was a very chilling performance, but also full of humour - this was a Richard who takes selfies (when looking upon a glass) and receives messages by text rather than messenger, and who relished killing his audience.
Performed in the very apt surroundings of a side-chapel in a church, it was a very personal performance, too - the actor was never more than eight feet from the audience. She looked into your eyes as Richard schemed and killed.
A very engaging, witty and disquieting piece of Shakespearean drama.
It was a very chilling performance, but also full of humour - this was a Richard who takes selfies (when looking upon a glass) and receives messages by text rather than messenger, and who relished killing his audience.
Performed in the very apt surroundings of a side-chapel in a church, it was a very personal performance, too - the actor was never more than eight feet from the audience. She looked into your eyes as Richard schemed and killed.
A very engaging, witty and disquieting piece of Shakespearean drama.
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no subject
Date: 2015-08-19 07:11 pm (UTC)I normally balk at audience participation, but no one really had a choice. It was very well done, faithful, I think, to Shakespeare, albeit just Richard's lines strung together. (I didn't know the original enough to vouch, I'm just guessing.)
I'm amazed the actress, who was utterly convincing, could remember the script and subtly indicate what little she wanted the extras - the small audience - to do.