Trinity Rep's 'Richard III'

Trinity's production of Richard III is set, roughly, present day.  War-torn concrete slabs and blocks are the base of the minimalist, but effective set.  Firearms substitute for swords and scabbards.  The men wear guerilla-style uniforms and the women wear conservative cloth-coat fashions.

Brian McEleney plays the scheming Richard, who would be King, when the half-dozen people who are in the line of succession before him are eliminated.  It is a powerhouse performance from McEleney, whose monotone style works well as it is melded into Richard's style of speaking.  As Richard schemes through his internal dialogue the audience is keyed into the change by a finger-snap and an effective lighting change.

The current king, Edward IV (Johnny Lee Davenport), is the first domino to fall in Richard's deadly game.  Davenport's brings weight to the role, his first production with Trinity.  I hope we see more of Mr. Davenport in the future, though I thought it a mistake to bring him back as the Mayor in this production.  The bad Samuel L. Jackson wig is distracting.

Fred Sullivan Jr. gives a reined-in performance as the Duke of Buckingham, who schemes with Richard to take the throne.  Sullivan dutifully cedes to McEleney in much of the wicked humor, which pervades the first act.

Mauro Hantman as Lord Hastings and Stephen Berenson as the Duke of Clarence are in Richard's inner-circle and trust Richard as one would trust, well, a brother.  It is to their disadvantage to be in the direct line between Richard and his coveted throne.  Hantman and Berenson turn in fine performances.  I think Berenson is miscast as Clarence, but he does a fine acting job, nonetheless.

As Queen Elizabeth, wife of Edward IV, Phyllis Kay presents the very picture of a present-day First Lady with Barbara Meek presenting as a former First Lady or perhaps Prime Minister.  Their contemporary interpretations of the roles work beautifully.  In these roles they are also the moral center of this amoral universe.

For me, the fulcrum of the tale is Lady Anne, wife of The Prince of Wales and later the wife of Richard III, played by Angela Brazil. If present-day morality were applied to Lady Anne, she would be a woman scorned for marrying the man she knows killed her husband.  In this context, however, it is a venial sin, though she pays for it with her mortality.

Timothy John Smith, Jonathan Horvath, Christopher Bonewitz, Noah Tuleja, Kelby Akin round out the, by necessity, large cast. Cameron Connaughton and Tebddy McNulty both do a fine job as the young Prince Edward and Duke of York.

In its entirety, Trinity Rep's current production of Richard III is a brilliant re-telling of Shakespeare's tale to a 21st century audience.  Moriarty has made Richard III accessible to any audience, familiar with Shakespeare or not, which makes it an unqualified success.

Richard III at Trinity Rep runs through March 2nd in the Chace Theater, located at 201 Washington St., Providence, RI.

Tickets range from $20-$60, with $10 seats available on the 12th row bench.  Tickets are available through the Trinity Box Office at 401-351-4242 

Photo # 1 Brian McEleney and Stephen Berenson with guest artist Johnny Lee Davenport

Photo #2 Brian McEleney as Richard and Mauro Hantman as Lord Hasting

Photos Courtesy of Trinity Repertory Company

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