'Richard III' at The Old Vic

I forgot to mention that we'd been to see 'Richard III' at The Old Vic a week or so ago - it was the first in a series of nights out and the last to be blogged. I'm not sure why. I've never seen the play before and never read it, I'm not even clear in my own mind about the backdrop of history it plays against, so I must take it at face value.

It's the last in the series of 'Bridge' productions at The Old Vic with a joint British and American cast, ignoring the difference in accents with actors speaking as they would in any other play. I can cope with Shakespeare in various American accents, what I can't cope with is plain bad acting. More of that later.

Kevin Spacey plays Richard, starting out in modern clothes and seemingly regressing wardrobe-wise. The guards are in suits and it starts out with a vaguely JFK 'Camelot' feel to it. That swiftly evaporates as dire deeds are done and a prince is drowned in a vat of cider in his boxers. Richard is clearly one sexy bugger since he kills a lady's husband and father and still manages to seduce her. I was like, 'eh?'. I suppose power overcomes all. He then cuts a swathe through the court and royal family and brings England to the brink of disaster before being stopped by a bad actor... ooops, did I say that out loud? Anyway...

I liked the sparse sets and the use of technology in a reality TV world. I thought Kevin Spacey was excellent as the malevolent king but he seemed to move from originality into stereotype baddy towards the end - is this the writing or the direction or the acting? I dunno. I liked Gemma Jones as mad Queen Margaret who wandered round the set every now and then putting large Xs on doors and being melodramatic. I also liked Haydn Gwynne as deposed Queen Elizabeth in a no-win situation. I must (yes, I really must) pour scorn on the actors who played Lord Stanley and the Earl of Richmond (both American) who, and let me find the right words here ... o yes, who couldn't act for toffee! C'mon guys. you're fighting for your lives, at least have some tone and inflection to your voices! Wooden or what, I can't even be bothered to look up their names to publicly shame them.

Anyway, other than the aforementioned gentlemen, I must recommend this production. I enjoyed it and I'm pleased to finally see one of Shakespeare's history plays with actors worthy of the parts. Well done!