Richard II
Old Parliament House
8:00pm, Sat 11 Mar 2000
Score: 7
Short Review: Verily
After a uniquely presented rendition of The Tempest in the Zoo last Fringe, Rough Magic returns to present Richard II in the austere setting of Old Parliament House.
As was the case with The Tempest, the direction is fabulous – Alice Teasdale has walked the modernist tightrope superbly, with soldiers in khaki and fatigues, noblemen in suit-and-ties. Despite lighting problems on the night, performances were solid, but the two major characters must be singled out: Damien Storer was wonderful as the hoighty-but-doomed Richard, and Nick Smart wonderfully restrained as Bolingbroke.
In all, a production well worth seeing. The setting within the Old Parliament House was a masterstroke, and the presentation of Shakespeare’s work is very entertaining.