richard II

Photo: www.londontheatre.co.uk

I applaud Nicholas Hytner's choice to stage this production in a time of such strong corruption and self interest, and to work with an actor who brings something new to every role he takes on. There is no one like Jonathan Bailey for finding a new angle for every character, no matter how many times that character has been played.

There is an incredibly amount of vibrancy in Bailey's King Richard, and he has an incredible amount of control over the poetic Shakespearean speech. You're hyper-aware that most of the audience are there to see him (proven by the screams during the bows), and I can't deny that this was most of my reason to watch this production, but it is perfectly justified by Bailey's eminently watchable and captivating performance. In other celebrity productions there is usally a discord between the central performer and the others, but I felt that every performance was incredibly strong and full in this production, and everyone made their mark.

I was incredibly envious of the versatility of the space. Bob Crowley's design creates a complete world to immerse yourself in, with quick and efficient scene changes being achieved with ease and the choreography to perfection. I felt that the movement of actors through and within the audience was unnecessary and did not necessarily add to the feeling of the production since most of the action took place on the stage and seemingly with a forth wall, but it is certainly enjoyable if this is something that excites you.

I was surprised at the jarring nature of the interlude music that played between scenes. I immediately thought of corporate drama series such as 'Suits' or 'Succession', which I didn't feel was the atmosphere that Hytner was going for otherwise. A scene in which there was a very heavy prescence of drugs also felt out of place as it was not suggested anywhere else in the production. It served to show overtly the corruption of the rulers but it is unusual for an idea to be introduced in one scene and not again, and in this case almost made me question whether I understood the message or what the production was trying to suggest.

Overall this is an enjoyable production and very deftly tackles Shakespeare's script, with excellent performances from all the cast. It's not the best thing you'll watch this year and certainly I felt disappointed with Hytner's vision, but there is a wonderful atmosphere and energy for this show from the audience, which makes it, if nothing else, a great night out.