Richard lll by William Shakespeare. Translation and version by Marius von Mayenburg.
Directed by Thomas Ostermeier. Stage design by Jan Pappelbaum. Costume design by Florence von Gerken. Music by Nils Ostendorf. Schaubuehne Berlin. Her Majest’ys Theatre. March 3 – March 9 2017. Adelaide Festival.
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
History, it now appears, has cast a kinder light upon the
reign of Plantagenet monarch Richard lll. The discovery of his remains in
Leicester and eventual State burial, the dogmatic assertion by Josephine Tey in
her novel, Daughter of Time, social
historian revelations that the two princes were murdered after Richard’s death and
the fact that England prospered during his short reign affirm the
inconsistencies in Shakespeare’s interpretation.
Thomas Ostermeier’s production is uncompromising, relentless
and electrifying in its allegiance to Shakespeare’s vision of the hunchback
king. Performed in German with English surtitles, Berlin Schaubuehne’s
performance is strikingly faithful to Shakespeare’s text, and yet pertinent in
its contemporary commentary on political intrigue, ruthless ambition, an
insatiable lust for power and the individual’s struggle for survival. And yet
there is nothing predictable, conventional or derivative in Ostermeier’s
account of familial conflict and one man’s violent rebellion against the
natural order of his time.
The drama takes place upon a setting, reminiscent of the
aspects of Shakespeare’s Globe with its balcony from which Margaret delivers
her vituperative tirade against her victors, the forestage on which the main
action takes place, the recess, hidden by hanging tapestries from which
Edward’s coffin appears and a place on the left of the stage where the
production’s drummer, Thomas Witte, beats out his voluminous accompaniment to the
action.
Ostermeier’s Richard lll is a production cast anew. It
defies expectation, opening with a rumbustious celebration of victory in war
through which the lumbering hunchback, contorted in his deformity, delivers
through a microphone his insidious intent. It offers a contrast to the frenetic
drumming , exploding glitter and cries of revelry, and launches the drama into
its irrevocable destiny. However well one may know the outcome of Richard’s
villainous rise and fall, any complacency is instantly dissolved by
Ostermeier’s vision and design and the performances of a company attuned to
every nuance, every intent and every motivation to survive.
Ostermeier’s penchant
for shock and horror never plummets towards cheap sensationalism. His direction
is imbued with brilliant intelligence, and his actors rise to the challenge
with performances, sharply etched with purpose, economical in their clarity as
a perfectly tuned ensemble. The grand guignol of Clarence’s bloody
assassination or the shocking supplication of Richard’s nakedness to Anne’s
tormented will are never gratuitous but serve the action with truthful insight.
Central to the drama is Shakespeare’s inimitable villain. Lars
Eldinger’s Richard appears as a buffoon, clumsy in gait and out of place in the
company of formally attired members of the court. His obsequious grovel belies
his scheming design. Like Emperor Claudius before him, he is compelled to live
by his wit, stirring his intent with malevolent charisma, Janus-like in his
guile and rousing his audience to laughter at his manipulative touches of the
ironic. It is a mesmerizing performance, possessing the stage with such
understated evil guile that we too easily fall victims to Richard’s redeemable charm.
For once I am not surprised that he can turn Anne’s hateful spite to something
almost akin to love. Or is it nothing more than her tactic to survive?
Everything about Ostermeier’s production astounds. From his
opening invasion of the senses to his use of nudity to strip away all artifice
to the use of puppets, so symbolically employed to represent the princes, or
casting a male as Margaret and finally revealing
the corpse of the slain Richard hung up
like a butcher’s carcass.
Good must triumph and Elizabeth 1’s ancestors must prevail.
Evil deeds may not pass unjudged, but in the light of contemporary revelation,
Ostermeier’s bloody, bold and resolute version may persuade us to consider with
wise judgement the nature of humanity in our time. This is a Richard
lll, not to be missed!
