“the real stand out performances lie with the females in this play”
Richard III is one of Shakespeare’s longest plays. This fact does not hold back Front Foot Theatre’s production of the classic text. From the beginning it’s easy to follow and captivating.
All of the acting in this production is strong with a few performers being quite exceptional. Kim Hardy portrays Richard as a subtly menacing villain. His physicality of Richard’s deformity is visible but doesn’t ever border on being too much. The Duke of Buckingham, played by Guy Faith, acts wonderfully as his sinister right hand man. However, the real stand out performances lie with the females in this play, particularly Helen Rose Hampton as Queen Elizabeth and Fiona Tong as the Duchess of York. The strength of their characters easily shines through even when placed in terrible situations.
The use of space in this adaption is extremely clever. We’re brought closer in to the action by a thrust staging and the unused seating bank is utilised as a piece of set (designed by Amanda Mascarenhas) throughout the play. The balcony above the stage is used for numerous scenes. However, using the section directly above a large portion of the audience led to most being unable to watch the action and quickly becoming disengaged. Lighting (Kiaran Kesby) adds a lot to the space: uplighting the actors gives them a sinister glow and dark spaces allow characters to lurk in shadows.
One of the cleverest parts of this production is the use of puppets (made by Jenny Dee) to portray the infamous Princes in the Tower. These work well due to the actors both operating and voicing them. It would have been easy for this to come across as silly, but they manage to avoid that completely.
Throughout the play the setting remained confused; it was a little too muddled between modern and historical. All of the battles were fought with swords and shields yet someone listens to a radio and another pins up photographs. It’s quite jarring. Although from an aesthetical perspective the monochromatic theme of the piece with only small splashes of colour is effective.
Directed by Lawrence Carmichael, this is a strong production. For the majority of the time it’s extremely engaging which is a major achievement considering its length. With Shakespeare it’s easy to get too carried away and caught up in things but this adaption remains grounded and easily understandable.
Set in a prison in the nineteen seventies, the penal system is in crisis. Over-crowded and understaffed, with a riot in one wing of the prison and a plot to escape in the other. Wentworth is a first time criminal sharing a cell with young ‘old hand’ Dawson. While under the watch of the guard, Deacon, they distract themselves with language until Dawson reveals a plan that, if successful, could lead to their escape.
Written as gender neutral Barred Freedom has two casts, one male and one female, to explore the differences or similarities we see in behaviour regarding gender and social environment. Each cast also has a different director.
Male Cast
Matthew Hawes – Dawson
Adam Sabatti – Wentworth
Mark Loveday – Deacon
Director – Asia Osborne
Female Cast
Amy Martin – Dawson
Carys Wright – Wentworth
Frances Keyton – Deacon
Director – Eugene Ambrose
Listing
Barred Freedom
20 – 25 March 2017
Male Performances: 20th, 22nd, 24th March
Female Performances: 21st, 23rd, 25th March
All performances begin at 7pm
The Cockpit Theatre
Gateforth Street
London
NW8 8EH
