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Eledhwen
Forum Admin
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Aug 21 2014, 7:19am
Post #1 of 14
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Martin Freeman in Richard III
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I went to see Martin Freeman's Richard III at the Trafalgar Studios in London last night (with former TORNado Frogmella, who some old-timers might remember!) I confess I went in with fairly low expectations that Freeman could pull off the role - I spent some time when I was younger writing an extended essay for school comparing the Ian McKellen and Laurence Olivier film versions of the play, so I know it well.
Freeman's Richard was very different, although superficially there were similarities with the McKellen version - the same use of a hunchback and a useless right arm and a bit of a limp, and a fictional military setting, although while McKellen's version set the play in the 1930s this one is set in the late 1970s. The programme notes said they modelled the set a bit on North Korea, and it has a grey-green-brown look. Frogmella and I were sitting at the end of the second row, so we were close to the action (the first couple of rows are at stage height and there's another bank of seats at the back of the stage, although most of the action is directed out into the main auditorium). They also used microphones and old televisions at certain points to great effect.
It's fair to say that especially in Act 1 the humour of the lines was played up. Richard is a sarcastic, self-mocking villain and this was accentuated quite strongly. In Act 2 the tone changed and it all got pretty dark and violent - a murder which in the play is committed off stage is brought right front of stage, thus making Richard more outwardly a villain, physically a murderer instead of just the guiding voice behind other peoples' hands.
The supporting cast were excellent. Gina McKee was a very good Queen Elizabeth and the guy playing Buckingham was also particularly good. We also liked the fact that Richard's flunky Tyrell was played with a strong Jamaican accent. In fact they used accents quite well to denote the different houses; the Rivers (Elizabeth and Lord Rivers) with Geordie accents, Lady Anne with a northern accent, the Yorks with received pronunciation.
The closing battle was fairly violent with lots of sound and light and fake blood aplenty.
Overall, it's probably not going to go down as a great production of the play, but it was good and we were glad we made the effort.
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Aug 21 2014, 2:57pm
Post #2 of 14
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I am fascinated by Richard the iiii and the time period and have read several books on the subject. Also do you by chance remeber who was murdered? I have read a lot about the possibility of his murdering his nephews "the princes in the tower" and am curious if you're referring to them?
(This post was edited by DaughterofLaketown on Aug 21 2014, 2:57pm)
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Eledhwen
Forum Admin
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Aug 21 2014, 7:06pm
Post #3 of 14
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The murder (spoilers, for anyone planning on seeing this)
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was his wife, Anne Neville. In the play Richard just orders that news be spread that she is seriously ill and "like to die" but in this production he actually murders her himself, on stage, with a telephone cord.
In the Shakespeare play the princes in the Tower are murdered by Richard's henchman Tyrell, off-stage, but Tyrell then comes on (in this production with blood all over) to confirm the deed is done.
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Aug 21 2014, 8:57pm
Post #4 of 14
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by the sound of it! I have to admit I'm a bit uneasy about modern stagings, but it sounds gripping. Fancy you seeing it with Frogmella - I remember meeting the two of you many years ago in London. I think I was down there for work, and managed to fit in a meet. River Woman and Trinity were involved too - or that might have been another time. My memory is shocking!
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Aug 21 2014, 10:12pm
Post #5 of 14
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I am truly shocked! Richard would never have murdered Anne who was the love of his life, and it would have been VERY out of character for him to do so.
(This post was edited by DaughterofLaketown on Aug 21 2014, 10:14pm)
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Eledhwen
Forum Admin
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Aug 22 2014, 7:16am
Post #6 of 14
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We all made it to one of the Royal Festival Hall performances
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of the soundtrack symphony. I'm pretty sure there was at least one occasion when me, Frogmella, River Woman, Trinity, you and Cheshire Cat all met in one place!
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Eledhwen
Forum Admin
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Aug 22 2014, 7:23am
Post #7 of 14
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Act IV, scene 2: "Rumour it abroad
That Anne, my wife, is sick and like to die"
Even the kindest reading of that scene, in which Richard goes on to declare that he needs to marry his niece Elizabeth of York (who ended up as Henry VII's queen) to ensure that his claim to the throne is rock-solid, has him plotting against Anne. In the very next scene he says she has "bid the world goodnight". It's pretty clear to me that this means he's ordered her death - the jump this production makes is to have him actually kill her.
But it's generally agreed that Shakespeare's portrayal of Richard is harsh to say the least, and he wasn't really anything more than a typical medieval king, prepared to take some fairly tough steps to keep his crown.
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Aug 22 2014, 6:11pm
Post #8 of 14
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Yeah. The TRUE story of Anne and Richard is actually quite romantic for the times.
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He rescued her from his brother Clarence when he was only nineteen and they married soon after. They had one son together who died young. They actually were rather a nice little family...
"And so they stood on the walls of the city of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven and golden, streamed out mingling in the air."
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Annael
Immortal
Aug 22 2014, 10:17pm
Post #9 of 14
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Have you read "The Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey?
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She goes through all the evidence & concludes that the Princes were still alive when Richard was killed . . . but not for long after.
To be sane we must recognize our beliefs as fictions.
- James Hillman, Healing Fiction
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Aug 23 2014, 4:09am
Post #10 of 14
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Yes I read it and enjoyed it a lot
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I definitely don't think Richard was responsible.
"And so they stood on the walls of the city of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven and golden, streamed out mingling in the air."
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Ham_Sammy
Tol Eressea
Aug 23 2014, 11:06pm
Post #11 of 14
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is used as a textbook for the beginning Master's degree class in History where I went to college called Introduction to the Historical Method about using and analyzing historical source material. I read it first in 1979 for that class and it was a fascinating discussion on sources, opinion and truly an example of the adage "history is written by the winners'. Great class and great book.
Thank you for your questions, now go sod off and do something useful - Martin Freeman Twitter chat 3/1/13
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Aug 24 2014, 4:26am
Post #12 of 14
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It's great they had you read that!
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It truly presents a great case for not always believing what you've been told.
"And so they stood on the walls of the city of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven and golden, streamed out mingling in the air."
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Ham_Sammy
Tol Eressea
Aug 24 2014, 2:24pm
Post #13 of 14
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Even though there are varying opinions as to whether he did it or not, and there are good points on both sides, the main thing I learned in the class was that in looking at history you need to research all sources and material and be aware of original vs. secondary sources. I have long learned not to believe everything even now that are written or on the screen or in print. You really have to research sources and material and make up your mind based on that and understand who is writing and/or reporting the material presented. Facts are not always what they seem for sure.
Thank you for your questions, now go sod off and do something useful - Martin Freeman Twitter chat 3/1/13
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Aug 24 2014, 7:52pm
Post #14 of 14
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I remember I went to the Royal festival Hall twice -
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but I get mixed up about what happened which time. I think we all went to Pizza Express the first time; there were quite a lot of people there. Hengist, Draupne and others as well as the folk you listed. I'll have to dig out the old photos! Also went with CC to the Old Vic to see Sir Ian as Widow Twankey - we had Flat Frodo with us on that occasion!
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