RICHARD III REDUX | STAGE INTERVIEW
King Richard III, the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. Notorious for being an evil, villainous ruler, often described as the ‘Bogeyman’ through various theatrical workings deriving from one William Shakespeare. But what if he wasn’t? What if he was a she? What if Richard didn’t share the same tropes of villainy as Hollywood’s representation of deformed, maniacal antagonists?
Shakespeare’s widely-beloved rendition of the character assumes and falsely misshapes Richard as a poisonous, deformed, hunchback’d toad, according the Llanarth Group production’s director, Phillip Zarilli.
The Llanarth Group’s one-woman show begins its theatrical run by aptly premiering at the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff on International Woman’s Day, before embarking on a nationwide tour across Wales. The production sees the brilliant Sara Beer portraying the damned king in a much different way from traditional iterations of the infamous leader, adding charm, wit, satire, humour, and being represented by an actor of the opposite gender with the same form of Scoliosis.
The interweaving of stories tackling self-referential themes of acting, difference, and a twisted historical ruler creates a truly inventive production that innovates the way in which we view period-based theatre and film.
“It’s not a production of Richard III as such, but a commentary on the way that he’s been portrayed by Shakespeare and also by non-disabled actors who have performed the character over the years,” explains Sara.
“There’s still a lot of negative roles within the world of theatre and film where if you’re a baddie, 9 times out of 10 you’ve got some sort impairment”, she says emphatically. “This play looks to me as an actor playing the character in a much more light-hearted manner.”
The play features videography from Cardiff-based filmmaker, Paul Whittaker, and is written by award-winning playwright, Kaite O’Reilly, who worked with Sara on the magnificent and critically-acclaimed Cosy. Sara has also proven crucial as part of acting ensembles in other O’Reilly productions, such as the upcoming And Suddenly I Disappear: The Singapore/UK’d Monologues, which will premier in Singapore later this year.
“Kaite said it would be really interesting to explore Richard III with me, because I have the same impairment as him,” Sara says, a sense of admiration in her voice. “It’s very rewarding to be working with people that understand you and it’s just a thrill to have somebody to write a show for you. It feels like you’ve got so much more ownership of the character.”
Despite an illustrious career in acting beginning in London with Graeae Theatre Company nearly 30 years ago, this production will challenge Sara’s wide array of talents with a hurdle she is yet to encounter.
“I think my biggest challenge has been becoming a one-woman show. I’ve never done one before, but I’ve enjoyed it,” Sara says, a strong sense of pride coming through in her speech. “I think a lot of people will get something different from the show. There will be people who will like the disability or historical aspects – plus it’s a load of fun.”
Sara and O’Reilly have developed a close working relationship through their involvement with disability arts in Wales. For the past 10 years, Sara has worked with Disability Arts Cymru, a nation-led organisation that encourages disabled people to get involved in the arts.
Sara says, “They’ve been instrumental in finding opportunities for disabled artists to perform. There’s lots of different ways that the organisation has developed training opportunities for disabled people.”
Richard III Redux begins its theatrical run by premiering at the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff before hosting an additional four shows in the same venue. The play then travels cross-country throughout the course of the next month including stops at Aberystwyth, Mold, Milford Haven and Cardigan.
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Thurs 8 Mar – Sat 10 Mar + Fri 16 Mar – Sat 17 Mar. Tickets: £12/£10. Info: 02920304400 / www.chapter.org
words ROSS DAWSON