Richard III presented by Washington Shakespeare Company at Artisphere

Richard III

Artisphere
1101 Wilson Blvd Arlington

Part of WSC's debut rep in Artisphere with Mary Stuart. The play that gives us one of Shakespeare's most complex and fascinating characters is also the most entertaining of his history plays. Watch with horror tinged with delight as the shrewd, manipulative, cunning third son of the royal family engages in a devilish chess match -- his goal, the throne; the result, bloody good fun.

Presented by Washington Shakespeare Company

Thru - Dec 12, 2010

Price: $26.50-$31.50

Show Type: Drama

Running Time: 2 hrs; 40 mins with 1 intermission

www.washingtonshakespeare.org

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Richard III Reviews

Average Rating based on 4 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

"...Directors Henley and Hardee give the show a pleasingly brisk fluidity, devising ingenious segues between scenes: After Richard has wooed Lady Anne, for instance, the shroud whips off Henry VI's corpse, revealing . . . Lord Rivers, and pitching us straight into the next scene. (Incorporating some shrewd cuts, the production clocks in at 2 1/2 hours)."

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- Celia Wren

MetroWeekly - Recommended

"...Frank Britton, always a compelling, idiosyncratic stage presence, makes for an intriguing Richard. At home with irony, tempered by a dark, questioning edge, Britton gives his Richard the driven urban energy of the dispossessed. Yet, even as he makes this man his own, something here feels underdeveloped. Some of it comes with Britton's naturally rapid-fire delivery, some of it with the swish and swirl of the production's pace, but either way, certain moments with this twisted man need to be longer and more languorous. We want to savor Britton and perhaps see him dig deeper. Still, this is an original, memorable performance."

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- Kate Wingfield

Washington City Paper - Recommended

"...Directors Christopher Henley and Jay Hardee have given Richard a cyberpunk sheen, dressing much of the cast as glam rockers or goths while giving others Maori-styled face tattoos and spurring the tempo with a pulsating electronic score. Frank Britton, who perfected his limp playing another possibly supernatural menace in Constellation’s Temptation two years ago, makes an admirably protean Richard, a persuader as charming and repulsive as the role demands."

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- Chris Klimek

DCTheatreScene - Not Recommended

True, even in this Washington Shakespeare production’s chaotic fog, there are flashes of inspiration. The idea of having the ghosts of Richard’s many victims return as zombies fresh out of “Night of the Living Dead” was viscerally contemporary and brilliant. Ditto the red-clad characters of Tyrrel (blended with Murderer #1) and Murderer #2 (Carolyn Myers and Anne Nottage) pouncing on their victims like vampires signaled the right kind of symbolism for this style of production.

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- Terry Ponick

Richard III presented by Washington Shakespeare Company at Artisphere

Richard III

Richard III Reviews

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

MetroWeekly - Recommended

Washington City Paper - Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Not Recommended

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