Richard III (2023)

I caught the PBS recording of this Shakespeare in the Park production last year, but I didn’t get around to writing about it until now. Unfortunately, this is one that I think could’ve been better. Despite a compelling central performance and some interesting concepts, the production had a hard time sustaining my attention.

Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, is jealous of his brother King Edward IV and resentful of the brothers and nephews who block his own path to the throne. Through manipulation and murder, he schemes to seize the crown for himself.

Over the years, many an actor has adopted the trademark “hump and withered limb” look to play Richard, though some productions interpret his “deformity” in other ways. Here, Richard has no visible disability, but he’s the only Black member of his family, and there are enough references in the script to people being “fair” to highlight the contrast. Furthermore, with Danai Gurira as the lead, we see his toxic masculinity as portrayed by a woman.

Gurira’s casting was how the production caught my eye, and she’s definitely my favorite thing about it. Her Richard is very mercurial, by turns charming, conniving, and scheming. She’s great to watch and a really interesting take on the character.

I also like that, while Richard isn’t visibly disabled, numerous other members of the cast are, including Tony winner Ali Stroker as Lady Anne. It also includes a few Deaf cast members who perform in ASL, which is sometimes interpreted by other characters onstage and sometimes subtitled.

But while Gurira is terrific and I like the inclusive casting, the production drags for me. To be fair, it’s been a number of years since I read Richard III, which can make watching the play more difficult. That said, a great production can easily make me feel the dialogue without a recent read, and I don’t think this one always rises to the occasion. The direction doesn’t do much to help the actors along, and with a lot of characters, it can be hard to keep track of everybody.

I’m still glad I watched it, but I think it could’ve been done better. The casting is so interesting and has a lot of potential, especially with Gurira’s strong performance as an anchor. For the actors’ sake, I wish the production had risen more to the occasion.

Warnings

Violence, sexual references, drinking, and thematic elements.