Richard III at Riverside Theatres - Review

Richard III at Riverside Theatres - Review

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Posted 2014-07-25 by Priyankafollow

Tue 22 Jul 2014 - Sat 26 Jul 2014

A cast of 6, a hidden cellar whose pathway is monitored by CCTV, enthusiastic artists congregating covertly, props & costumes and a play that never fails. Artist and Director Mark Kilmurry brings to stage the malevolent Richard III at Riverside Theatres Paramatta this July.



The setup is somewhat dungeon-like. A CCTV monitored path leading to a dark old cellar with an old television set, a large table and benches, buckets and boxes that hold props, an array of costumes at the back and a big window above that brings in some moonlight. 6 members come in hastily, in most cases not even acknowledging each other, drop their bags and coats, shuffle through the costumes hanging on the rack and get into the act.

Mark Kilmurry who plays Richard III quickly straps on the hunchback and introduces a jerky limp in his walk as he opens Act 1, Scene 1. From then what follows is a series of acts where the same cast of perform different characters in different scenes. At many times during the play, the actors go silent to let the scene be drowned by sounds from the passing police cars, barking dogs or the helicopter. It reminds the audience that this is probably just a secret society's practice session of the play.

Matt Edgerton who plays Duke of Clarence, Earl Rivers, King Edward, Ratcliffe and Gatesby has a couple of extraordinary feats. 3 of his characters die, so he plays the dead corpse 3 times and in one scene where both Ratcliffe and Gatesby are present, he changes the tone of his voice and uses glasses as his prop to switch between the 2 characters convincingly. Well acted Matt.

Patrick Dickson plays the Duke of Buckingham, Richard III's cousin, companion and confidant. Patrick armoured by a perfect accent to suit Buckingham plays the one loyal to Richard III and helps Richard in his devious plans that ultimately lead Richard to the throne.

The very talented Amy Mathews pulls of the very difficult scene of Anne mourning a death while being woo'ed in between vehement curses for Richard (Duke of Gloucester) who was the reason for her father and husband's death. The cunning & persuasive Richard is persistent and gradually succeeds in calming Anne after a long exchange of words. He even gives her a ring that she accepts.

Richard's evil disposition drives the play scene after scene. He is merciless, vain, selfish and hungry for power. After the death of his 2 brothers he uses Buckingham to stage a scene where the citizens request him to take to power and fill the void of king.

Once he gains power, he quickly ensures his path to the crown stay clear of King Edward's 2 minor sons and starts making plans for his succession. He also turns his back towards his loyal cousin Buckingham.

Danielle Carter & Tony Scanlon play different roles including the ones of Duchess of York and Queen Elizabeth. The play is 2 hours 30 minutes long with a short recess in between. While the costumes are quite superficial and sometimes barely hide the modern clothing underneath, it does make the point that this is a group's practice session in a little cellar. It's quite evident that Shakespeare never fails, and each theatre's interpretation and delivery adds a layer of excitement to the original play.

#parramatta
#theatre
#theatre -reviews
#west
#july
!date 22/07/2014 -- 26/07/2014
%wnsydney
129055 - 2023-06-13 05:32:00

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