The production will star Ann Noble.
Guillermo Cienfuegos will return to A Noise Within to direct a streamlined, high-velocity, darkly entertaining take on William Shakespeare's Richard lll, re-set in 1970s Britain. Starring Ann Noble as the irresistible schemer audiences love to hate, the production runs February 14 through March 8 at the company’s home in Pasadena. Low-priced previews begin February 8.
Charismatic and contemptible in equal measure, burdened by physical challenges and consumed by ambition, Richard claws his way to the crown with unrelenting ferocity, removing all obstacles, and all people, in his path. Manipulating, marrying and murdering his way to the top with unmatched charm and zeal, Richard turns the audience into his unwitting accomplice: we root for him even as his plans grow ever more monstrous.
“Richard III is the original Game of Thrones,” notes Cienfuegos. “Anyone expecting a dusty, Shakespearean history is going to be very surprised. This production will feel more cinematic, like a Martin Scorsese or a Quentin Tarantino film, and move like a freight train. A short recap at the top of the show will orient the audience so they can focus fully on Richard’s ruthless pursuit of the crown.”
“People don’t realize how funny this play is,” adds A Noise Within co-artistic director Geoff Elliott. “Richard is one of Shakespeare most darkly comic characters.”
Joining Noble on the ANW stage are Lynn Robert Berg as Buckingham; Lesley Fera as Queen Elizabeth; Neill Fleming as King Edward IV; Samuel Garnett as Hastings; Wesley Guimarães as Richmond; Veralyn Jones as the Duchess of York; Trisha Miller as Queen Margaret; Alex Neher as Rivers; Tony Pasqualini as Stanley; Erika Soto as Lady Anne; and Randolph Thompson as Clarence. The ensemble also features Brendan Burgos, Vic Crusaos, Dominick Jaramillo, Micah Lanfer and Sean Umeda.
The crack creative team includes scenic designer Angela Balogh Calin; lighting designer Ken Booth; sound designer Christopher Moscatiello; projections designer Nick Santiago; Costume Designer Christine Cover Ferro; wig and makeup designer Tony Valdés; and properties designer Stephen Taylor. Jonathan Rider is fight choreographer, Andrea Odinov is dialect coach, and Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad is the dramaturg. Sami Hansen is the production stage manager, assisted by Hope Matthews.
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