Photo by Craig Schwartz
There’s never a wrong moment to stage Richard III. Shakespeare’s portrait of naked ambition and moral collapse rarely feels distant, but in director Guillermo Cienfuegos’s new production at A Noise Within, the story lands with particular force. Whether by design or coincidence, this staging arrives at a moment when questions of power, loyalty and truth feel more immediate than academic.
Cienfuegos, returning to direct at the Pasadena theater, delivers a streamlined and visually distinctive interpretation, for some reason relocating the action to Britain in the 1970s. The era’s hairstyles, wide collars and flared pants seem an almost superfluous backdrop for a world governed by calculation and self-interest. Still, the production moves swiftly and with purpose, given the tremendous amount of narrative it needs to cover.
At its center is Ann Noble, whose depiction of Richard is as compelling as she is unsettling–it’s more Mick Jagger than Laurence Olivier. Noble captures both the character’s outward charm and inward corrosion, presenting a figure who understands precisely how to manipulate perception. She draws the audience close, confiding in us, whispering to us, even as Richard’s actions grow increasingly ruthless. It’s a performance defined by measured, deliberate and unnervingly persuasive moves.
This production eschews the “hunchback” device for Richard. made famous in previous productions. Noble’s depiction shows that his true deformity lies not in his body, but in his moral limp. Her Richard is driven not by madness but by clarity of purpose, which makes his actions all the more chilling.
His heart cries out for a handicapped parking space.
Cienfuegos keeps the production moving at a near-cinematic pace. The brief back story tries to encapsulate the dense web of political relationships, necessary in a play where alliances shift rapidly and lives end abruptly—but you’ll get lost fast. Stay with it.
Meanwhile the ensemble serves as its own Greek chorus, reinforcing the sense that Richard’s rise is both inevitable and collectively enabled.
The supporting cast is uniformly strong. Lynn Robert Berg brings quiet authority to Buckingham, whose loyalty proves as conditional as Richard’s is hollow. Lesley Fera’s Queen Elizabeth conveys both regal composure and mounting despair as Richard dismantles her family. Neill Fleming lends King Edward IV a fragile dignity, like a washed-up one-hit wonder, while Randolph Thompson gives Clarence a vulnerability that emphasizes the personal cost of Richard’s ambition.
Other standouts include Erika Soto’s Lady Anne, whose entanglement with Richard is rendered with emotional clarity, and Wesley Guimarães as Richmond, a necessary counterweight to Richard’s pustulent influence. Veralyn Jones’s Duchess of York and and the always fetching Trisha Miller’s Queen Margaret, serve as clear moral anchors, reminding the audience of the human wreckage left behind.
Visually, the production is clean and precise. Scenic designer Angela Balogh Calin’s restrained environment allows the performances to remain central, while Ken Booth’s lighting and Nick Santiago’s projections subtly reinforce shifts in tone and perspective. While most of the physical staging is minimal, a clever use of graphics, lights and sound design help drive home the violence at hand. Christine Cover Ferro’s costumes puts the action firmly in 1973-74, and Christopher Moscatiello’s sound design adds texture without overwhelming the dialogue (Ergo the 70s rock and roll phrases as intros and punctuations).
In this lean, stark staging, A Noise Within reminds us why Richard III endures. Its portrait of ambition unrestrained remains as unsettling as ever, because it feels so familiar.
Richard III continues through March 8 at A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. (626) 356-3100. anoisewithin.org.
