Richard the Turd

So I went to see Richard III at the Public Theater last night, much thanks to my wonderful friend M.M. (no, the other one) for the tickets. You're the best!

Wish I could say the same for the production.

I might expect acting that bad had I gone to see a non-equity community production in Hohokus or something, but I was appalled that the home of the New York Shakespeare Festival couldn't find better talent...in New York, no less! I mean, you can't swing a dead cat in this town without hitting an unemployed actor. Talent literally does grow on trees here.

Not everyone was bad, which sort of made it all the more frustrating. The cast was very uneven. Isa Thomas, as Queen Margaret, showed that the trick to good acting is to talk like a normal person. She and her arch rival, the Duchess of York (played by Roberta Maxwell), and a small handful of other actors, were the only ones that seemed to have an emotional lock on their characters. Otherwise it was ham city.

This play should have the pace and momentum of a landslide. Once it begins, it tumbles helter skelter to its inevitable disastrous conclusion. The actors, however, in a vain attempt to create a sense of urgency ranted and raved like madmen when it wasn't called for, and failed to summon the requisite passion when it was. Mostly it seemed like a physical imitation of a hackneyed cliche of so-called "Shakespearean" acting. Woe is me.

In the title role, Peter Dinklage was a huge disappointment. He tossed out his lines with all the passion of an eight year old reciting parts of the catechism in Sunday school for a gold star. He tried to push the action along by speaking as quickly as he could, but he was frequently difficult to understand, and it robbed Richard of his cold, callous, calculating nature. He was petulant and pushy, not evil. His delivery was, frankly, monotonous.

The usher seated to my immediate left began to snore exactly 15 minutes into the first act. M.M. said she liked the nightmare sequence toward the end because it woke her up.

I recall my set-designer friend JWC saying he liked the physical production, but it looked pretty amateur to me. The lighting was stark and basic.

Unable as I am to resist an opportunity bash Bush, I found the scene where Richard has Buckingham (well done by Ty Burrell) spin some p.r. magic by making him look pious sadly relevant.

MAYOR
See where His Grace stands, 'tween two clergymen!

BUCKINGHAM
Two props of virtue for a Christian prince,
To stay him from the fall of vanity.
And, see, a book of prayer in his hand,
True ornaments to know a holy man. --
Famous Plantagenet, most gracious prince,
Lend favorable ear to our requests,
And pardon us the interruption
Of thy devotion and right Christian zeal.