Arts

Is it possible to humanize Richard III?

by Jules Becker
Thursday Aug 2, 2018

Richard III, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common, through August 5. Free.

Is it possible to humanize Richard III?

Mystery writer Josephine Tey certainly tried to humanize Richard III in her brilliant 1951 novel "The Daughter of Time". She theorized that Henry VII had much more reason to kill the king's young nephew princes than he did. Now Faran Tahir ("Star Trek," "Iron Man" and a theater degree from Harvard), tackling the prized role of the scheming monarch in Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's Boston Common staging of "Richard III," is on record saying he means to humanize the notorious villain and find the shades in his character.

That humanizing may rarely kick in, but CSC artistic director Steven Maler makes the polarization clearly pervading this very bloody history play resonate strikingly at a time of deep division.

Quite curiously, Richard, Duke of Gloucester-later King Richard III-often seems like a pre- Orwell autocrat who is prepared to throw anyone under the proverbial bus to achieve his self-centered objectives.

Tellingly, Richard will later admit that "Richard loves Richard." After all, he does have family members murdered-some even defamed-to take over the throne. Still, there is the famous initial 'winter of our discontent' speech in which cane-carrying, limping Richard confronts his physical challenges. Hating "the idle pleasures of these days," he resigns himself to being "not a lover but a villain."

As Richard, Tahir favors one arm, seems to skip at times to compensate for walking limitations and underplay the effects of being hunchbacked. Audience members may even very briefly sympathize with an attitude-ridden loner who despairs of finding love and acceptance in English life and society. Once he schemes to murder his brother George, Duke of Clarence, that sympathy departs-especially when Remo Airaldi as captive Clarence touchingly details a gruesome nightmare.

Gradually, of course, Richard puts a stranglehold on civil liberties and common decency as he plays off allies against adversaries. Director Maler, in his playbill notes "From the Artistic Director, "remarks that "The recent events in our world resonate all too strongly in "Richard III," and the unflinchingly fierce CSC staging very convincingly demonstrates that resonance.

As with brutal 21st century dictators, Richard arranges brutalities that are achieved with chilling results. Audience members who are squeamish may wish to prepare themselves for the moment when a covered dinner platter connected to opponent Lord Hastings-played with proper gravity by Mark Torres-is uncovered on Richard's table. The separation of the young princes from family will have many audience members thinking of the ongoing cruel separation of many immigrant children from their parents.

Some of the resonating themes are high points in Maler's sharply propelled effort. Deb Martin as Queen Elizabeth is viscerally arresting as she faces off with Richard in a verbal volley that contains some of the play's most darkly ironic insights about the ways in which children can become pawns in a battle royal between differently driven adults.

Fred Sullivan, Jr. brilliantly becomes a theater of the absurd jester as he appears to be a kind of fixer for Richard until his all too late flipping with Henry, Earl of Richmond-who will be Henry VII-proves his own downfall. Michael Underhill's feisty Richmond compensates in part for the strangely quirky outfits of his followers. Maler's note mentions the influence of Alexander McQueen-otherwise all to the good in Jessica Pabst's costumes.

Best of all is the famous scene in which Henry VI's widow Queen Margaret-played with world weary ferociousness by Bobbie Steinbach-both berates and shares insight with fellow widows. Maler's direction particularly nails the angst and pain of the play's very different women-arguably Shakespeare's finest pre-#Me Too commentary on sexual harassment.

At one point prophetess-like Margaret admonishes Elizabeth, "Richard yet lives!" So it goes with Shakespeare's always-timely warning about the potential limitlessness of human brutality-a counsel powerfully driven home by Maler and CSC.