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'Richard II' a true thrill to behold
Shakespeare troupe serves history play on a silver platter
Sunday, Oct 14, 2007 - 12:08 AM Updated: 06:37 AM
By SUSAN HAUBENSTOCK
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
I've left plays at intermission only twice in my life. Twenty-five years ago I walked out of an off-Broadway performance of "Richard II" starring no less a figure than William Hurt as Richard. It was crashingly, stultifyingly dull.
Richmond Shakespeare has redeemed "Richard" for me.
In a thrilling production of Shakespeare's history play -- prequel to the company's "Henry IV, Part 1" from their summer season at Agecroft Hall -- director James Ricks shows how successful the company's signature approach can be.
Focusing on language, with pared-down cast, simple lighting effects and virtually no set, Ricks conducts an exciting cast of actors who illuminate the captivating drama. Aided mightily by Rebecca Cairns' rich costumes, and with a minimal but effective sound design of his own making, Ricks manages the beautiful verse of the playwright and the unparalleled energy of the actors with aplomb.
Richard was the last Plantagenet king of England, replaced by Henry Bolingbroke, the first of the Lancasters, and "Richard II" tells the story of Richard's fall. King since boyhood, he had ruled for decades when his ill-considered spending habits led him to plot the death of his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, and seize his wealth and lands. This angered the nobles and the commoners. While Richard was away at war in Ireland, his cousin Bolingbroke returned from exile and was easily able to lure support away from the king and take the throne.
In Shakespeare's rendering, much of the fascination of the drama lies in Richard's balky acknowledgement of Bolingbroke's triumph. Mike Newman, a young and vigorous Richard, steals our hearts in the second act as he reveals the king's nobility, which turns out to be not dependent on his rank, but an essential part of his nature.
But the first act, complicated as it is -- and a strength of Ricks' production is that it all becomes clear -- is dominated by Stephen Ryan as the Duke of York, uncle to Richard and Bolingbroke. He's a figure of righteous anger and unflagging energy, the moral compass of the whole band of uncles and cousins who form the nobility. The actors who play these feuding relatives are perfectly credible as noblemen and kinsmen, from Stephen Seals as John of Gaunt, another uncle; to Andrew Hamm's Henry Percy, Jeff Schmidt's Bolingbroke, and John Witkewicz's Aumerle, more cousins.
Playing multiple roles, like most in the cast, are Elise Boyd, Jude-Dominique Fageas, Jennie Meharg and Julie Phillips, and the energy level they maintain is equal to that of the principal players. Meharg is especially affecting as Richard's queen, Isabella, and Phillips does a humorous turn as the slightly hysterical Duchess of York. If this is the level of play Richmond Shakespeare can bring to the history cycle, I say bring it on. |
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October 1, 2007 - Richmond, VA
On newstands now: Richmond Shakespeare wins the Teresa Pollak Prize for Excellence in the Arts, presented by Richmond Magazine.
Arguably, the Pollak awards constitute Richmond's highest honor for the arts. Many thanks are due: to the company's artists, staff and Trustees, to Richmond Magazine, to Harry Kollatz and to the selection committee, but especially to Ms. Pollak, in whose memory the awards are given, and whose 40+ years of teaching and artistry serve as a model for all Richmonders, no matter the discipline, no matter the industry.
September 5, 2007 - STYLE Weekly, Richmond, VA
The Gift That Keeps on Giving photo by Scott Elmquist
Grant Mudge
by Edwin Slipek Jr.
For Grant Mudge, compelling theater — whether a classic play or an interpretation of a literary work — doesn’t require lavish productions.
When Mudge was a struggling young actor and director he worried about how he could afford Christmas presents. He had an idea: “People make things for gifts, don’t they? I’ll write and perform a play.” Mudge adapted “A Christmas Carol” and during succeeding holidays regaled an ever-growing audience of kinfolk and friends.
Now he’s the artistic director of Richmond Shakespeare, and an outgrowth of that play, “A Christmas Carol for Two Actors” — which he co-adapted with Cynde Liffick, the company’s director of education — is one of its annual staples.
Like the rest of Richmond Shakespeare’s upcoming season — “Richard II,” “Measure for Measure” and “As You Like It” — “Christmas Carol” is performed with an emphasis on the word, not necessarily on elaborate sets and costumes.
“Shakespeare’s works are challenging to produce and perform, but audiences immediately know that there’s something timeless and inexhaustible about Shakespeare,” he says. “The plays don’t change, but you do.”
Richmond Shakespeare is in its 23rd year, but since Mudge joined in 1996 it’s added a touring program and a summer season, The Richmond Shakespeare Festival. Initially, the company’s fortunes were shaky because of constantly changing performance venues. Now the company is ensconced in the Gothic revival chapel of Second Presbyterian Church, and presents its summer season at Agecroft, the Tudor-era mansion that was transplanted to Windsor Farms from England in the 1920s.
With plays cast from local talent and auditions held in Washington, D.C., and New York City, the company tours extensively. Under Mudge’s leadership, Richmond Shakespeare has reached 120,000 people in 23 states.
What is Shakespeare’s staying power? “Anyone can walk in and know what is going on. There is absolute clarity of text,” Mudge says. It’s this reliance on the primacy of the text that frees Richmond Shakespeare plays from being heavily designed.
“There is a sense of the original [Shakespearean] theatrical practices in our productions,” Mudge says. “We use universal lighting where the audience and the players can see each other. This was standard before the advent of turning lights off in the audience.” He admits, however, that the outdoor summer productions tend to be less “universal.” More lighting attracts more insects.
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Powerful forces on the stage
'The Tempest' gets a good read, thanks to the entire crew
Saturday, Jun 16, 2007
by Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times Dispatch
A stunning visual opens the play: sailors on a storm-tossed ship, straining against ropes that form a triangle pointing off into the distance.
Deep in the background, beyond where the lines converge, paces Prospero, powerful, self-contained, the conjurer of the storm.
But Anthony Luciano, master of play for Richmond Shakespeare Festival's "The Tempest," engages our senses even more with an onstage sound crew that produces the noises of thunder and rain while the sailors shout their distress.
Throughout, Andrew Hamm's original music punctuates and illuminates this glistening production, another triumph for this ever-inventive company.
As always, the outdoor courtyard at lovely Agecroft Hall makes a perfect summer setting for Shakespeare, especially in the pared-down Richmond Shakespeare Festival style, which puts the emphasis on The Bard's words.
"The Tempest" has temporal and nautical connections to the founding of Jamestown 400 years ago, making it all the more appropriate a selection for this summer.
In addition, we have the gift of Stephen Lorne Williams to savor. The veteran British actor, as Prospero, gives a virtual onstage master class, speaking the verse with thrilling rhythm and clarity and moving with the sparest and most controlled gestures, showing forcefulness through restraint.
It is an interesting contrast with the very physical American style of, say, Graham Birce as the sprite Ariel, dressed as a clown and willing to throw his body fully into Prospero's service.
Master of verse Julie Phillips sees to it that the poetry is given its due, but in this, as in many of Richmond Shakespeare's productions, clowning and merriment are emphasized.
The romantic comedy begins with Prospero's tempest causing the shipwreck of various nobles of Italy as revenge for their theft of his position as Duke of Milan.
He has Ariel manipulate the castaways, bringing a lover for Prospero's daughter Miranda, while the wretched creature Caliban, son of a witch, tries fruitlessly to escape Prospero. The castaways vie among themselves for control, but in the end everyone is reconciled.
All of the performances are pleasing. Matt Polson and Liz Blake are endearing as the young lovers Ferdinand and Miranda, and David White is a fearsome and pitiable Caliban.
Andy Nagraj's Antonio is especially charismatic in his deviousness, and Frank Creasy makes Gonzalo the steadfast good fellow he should be. Fred Kaufman and Patrick Bromley are hilarious as the drunken sailors Stephano and Trinculo, and Birce's Ariel is otherworldly, fearless and playful in the service of his master.
Luciano's ambitious production is thoroughly and satisfyingly realized. It's not to be missed.
Summer Richmond Shakespeare Festival 2007 Announcement: "The Plays the Thing You See."
Praise for Doctor Faustus, February 2007: "Director Gives Faustus Energy."
Praise for Julius Caesar "Caesar is the Season. The name has changed, but Richmond Shakespeare's performances are still a cut above."
"All in all, Richmond Shakespeare Theatre's production of Julius Caesar is a strong start to the company's second season of indoor plays. And it showcases a group of talented performers that are providing the River City, yet again, with a Shakespearean success." --Deanna Geneva Lorianni, richmond.com.
Caesar Worthy of Praise: Talented, Small Cast Shines in Richmond Shakespeare Play. - "Small but mighty - that's the cast of Richmond Shakespeare's production of Julius Caesar, which opens the company's second winter season at Second Presbyterian Church downtown. In its accustomed style, Richmond Shakespeare is playing the great tragedy with just five actors, and they are five excellent ones.... Riveting... The stagecraft is magical." --Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Praise for Othello, spring 2006:
"This is an Othello for any Shakespeare lover...and a high school student's dream." Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times Dispatch. Now playing!
Richmond.com says "succeed they most certainly did... amazing... enough to make even Shakespeare proud."
"Minimalist Othello; Robust Emotions," Richmond Times Dispatch, February 4, 2006. Review of Othello, playing at the Richmond Shakespeare Theatre.
"This 'Midsummer' Plays Like a Dream" Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 25, 2005.
"Errors in Name Only; Shakespeare Comedy Perfect" Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 13, 2005. Review of The Comedy of Errors.
"For Mudge, It's All About the Bard" Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 6, 2005. An article featuring Encore!'s Artistic Director, Grant Mudge.
"Ready for an encore"
April 17, 2005 - In a follow-up article on ACTS OF FAITH, (click on the title above for the full article) "..[Encore!] Artistic Director Grant Mudge..said the prospect of another Acts of Faith has been "kicking around" in his head as he considers how to approach his company's future "Romeo and Juliet."
The production may emphasize the play's depiction of "how we value life and what's going to occur to us in the afterlife," he said..ACTS OF FAITH, a Richmond Festival of plays featuring 10 professional companies, played in February of 2005. Encore!'s Richmond Shakespeare ON TOUR production of "The Merchant of Venice" was featured.
July 16, 2004
Click the following link for a feature article on Romanian-born actor Dan Istrate, who plays the role of Shylock in Encore!'s current Richmond Shakespeare Festival production of "The Merchant of Venice." (We're looking to re-print the article here soon!)
"Merchant Magic"
July 14, 2004
Excerpts from a review of "The Merchant of Venice" on richmond.com. Read the whole review here: www.richmond.com
"...like a decadent dessert -- rich and layered.."
"... easy intimacy with language..."
"...an excellent job of making some of Shakespeare’s more challenging word play and philosophy accessible to the audience..."
"Best of Puck"
June 23, 2004
Excerpts from a review of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in the June 23rd Style Weekly. Read the whole review here: article
"...performed with expert awkwardness."
"... a lighthearted amalgam of pop culture, spoofs...and wisecracking slapstick humor."
Of Tanya Tatum: "...an engaging stage presence, she delivers her lines with an impeccable Shakespearean rhythm...and seamlessly switches multiple roles." "She's endearing as Helena...silly and fun."
"Midsummer" is Outdoor Theater at is Best
June 15, 2004
Excerpts from a review of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in the June 15th Richmond Times-Dispatch. Read the whole review here: www.times-dispatch.com
"An enchanted evening awaits those who make their way to Agecroft Hall for A Midsummer Night's Dream..."
Cynde Liffick plays several roles (Hippolyta/Hermia/Titania/Starveling) "...with passion, clearly delineating each..."
Of Tanya Tatum (Puck/Helena/Flute/Cobweb): "Her verse is beautifully spoken; her grace is stunning."
"...the effect as the sky darkens at the end of Act I and the stage begins to glow is magical. It's outdoor theater at its best."
A New Web SiteJune 1, 2004
The new web site for the Encore! Theatre Company and the Richmond Shakespeare Festival went live today. This is the result of much effort by Grant Mudge, Encore! Theatre Company's Artistic Director, and Jeff Kelso of Kelso Web Services, LLC.
Kelso Web Services has donated the development and hosting of this web site.
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