Richard III

This show has now closed, click here for a listing of current and future London shows

Previewed 7 November 2012, Opened 17 November 2012, Closed 10 February 2013 at the Apollo Theatre in London

The Shakespeare's Globe Theatre present Shakespeare's Richard III in London in an all-male Original Practices production, exploring clothing, music, dance and settings possible in around 1601.

"Now is the winter of our discontent. Made glorious summer by this son of York"

Murderous monster or misrepresented monarch, Richard III continues to fascinate as one of Shakespeare's most renowned characters. He is an extraordinary creation: deformed from birth, his arm withered, his nature murderous, with no gleam of humanity, but much sardonic humour. But this great play is more than an evocative portrait of a powerful villain. It is an historical testament to the end of the Wars of the Roses and an era of power politics at their most bloody.

"Mark Rylance's extraordinary original Richard. Enthralling" The Financial Times

The cast features Mark Rylance as 'Richard III' with Lorenzo Allchurch as 'Richard, Duke of York', Samuel Barnett as 'Queen Elizabeth', Liam Brennan as 'George, Duke of Clarence' and 'Lord Mayor', Paul Chahidi as 'Lord Hastings' and 'James Tyrrell', Johnny Flynn as 'Lady Anne Neville' and 'Lord Richard Grey', James Garnon as 'Richard, Duchess of York' and 'Tudor, Earl of Richmond', Shanu Hazzan as 'Edward, Prince of Wales', Colin Hurley as 'King Edward IV' and 'Stanley, Earl of Derby', Austin Moulton as 'Edward, Prince of Wales', Roger Lloyd Pack as 'Duke of Buckingham', Dylan Standen as 'Richard, Duke of York' and Ben Thompson as 'Marquis of Dorset' along with John Paul Connolly, Ian Drysdale, Peter Hamilton Dyer and Jethro Skinner. The production is directed by Tim Carroll with designs by Jenny Tiramani and music by Claire van Kampen.

"Tim Carroll's joyous productions" The Times

"The chameleon nature of the Mark Rylance's genius is demonstrated by his equally mould-breaking portrayal of the title role in Tim Carroll's Richard III, which is playing in rep with Twelfth Night. The performance has become deeper and more disturbing since it was first seen in the summer. Take the king's mountingly psychotic disconnection, and look at the chilling way Rylance starts to treat his Queen as a mere prop, using a finger to transfer her tears to his own unnervingly blank face. The company too is superb in both plays, and it's remarkable how deftly a sense of the Globe's atmosphere has been conjured in an indoor proscenium arch theatre." The Independent

"Mesmerising to watch, Mark Rylance creates a genuinely new and riveting interpretation of Shakespeare's Richard of Gloucester. Strong supporting cast" The Times Critic's Choice

"All good actors find dark humour in Shakespeare's portrait of a serial killer, but there are moments in Mark Rylance's superbly disconcerting performance when he seems like the funniest stand-up comedian you’ve ever seen, albeit one with a horribly withered arm. In the great opening speech, in which he announces his determination to prove a villain, he is a chuckling cheeky chappie, eyes twinkling with pleasure, taking the audience into his confidence with a glee that is infectious... But Rylance’s performance deepens and darkens, as it must, with sudden moments of psychotic fury, and in a chilling scene in which he holds his wife’s hand, and wipes away her tears as he publicly dooms her to death. In the final section he harrowingly captures a man whose mind is at war with itself, his mouth agape with horror as he finds himself utterly alone and incapable of pitying even himself." The Daily Telegraph

Richard III in London at the Apollo Theatre previewed from 7 November 2012, opened on 17 November 2012 and closed on 10 February 2013 - played in repertory with Twelfth Night.