Getting high with Shakespeare's Richard II

Matchbook Productions' unique staging of Shakespeare's Richard II.
Photo: C. Bay Milin

If you aren't a fan of Shakespeare it would be easy to conclude "If you've seen one Shakespeare production you've seen them all." Whether it's Taming of the Shrew or Hamlet or Henry V, there's that elevated verse that actors, directors, and audiences must  tackle before they can uncover the nitty gritty of what Shakespeare managed to do so eloquently: tell passionate stories with poetry, sex, danger, romance, intrigue and the gamut of human emotion. Some do it brilliantly; others not so much. Shakespeare is like the holy grail of theatre. Get on top of the poetry and you unlock some of the best storytelling we are like to ever see on this earth. And it's royalty free.

Enter Matchbook Productions and Sonnet Repertory Theatre to save the day with their collaborative production of Shakespeare's Richard II in which they tell the story of this troubled king on the trapeze. With little more than a half dozen trapezes, a white backdrop and some great lighting these actors proves it takes little else but ingenuity, a love of the verse and a blatant disregard for gravity to bring Shakespeare off the page and onto the stage in a manner so unique, so "not done" that one might wonder if Shakespeare himself might have eventually come up with the idea to add a low-flying trapeze to his productions had he lived long enough.

  Richard II and his queen.  Photo: C. Bay Milin

Something wonderful happens somewhere in the telling of this production's story. Because of the physical requirements placed on the actors (They are in the air as much if not more so than they are not.) the words become action and all of a sudden the intent behind Shakespeare's poetry becomes grounded and easily understood. By elevating the action on the trapeze, these artists have managed to bring Shakespeare's words down to earth without sacrificing those same words' original beauty. One wonders if this kind of physical Shakespeare shouldn't be a requirement for any and all actors, directors and other storytellers who choose to tackle the bard. After seeing the show last night, I can think of no better way to get an actor out of their head than if they are hanging for dear life four to six feet above the ground.

As a general rule this examiner does not specifically review shows. Sometimes a little kudos gets through but once you've done what it takes to get a show going in the pressure cooker that is NY Theatre, it's hard to shine a light on others' woes. (Plus I work with these people.) Where I do blur the line is when there is a production unique enough or ingenious enough that just seeing it might stimulate and unlock other ideas for those of us in the business. This production of Richard II is just one of those shows.You might love it. You might not. You might be awed by their command of the language or not...but you should still see it as it's unlike anything you'll see up to now and it may just inspire you to your own "high-minded" ideas.

  Richard II now playing at The Tank Theatre.
  Photo: C. Bay Milin