Shakespeare in Switzerland - Richard III

Richard III.                                                     

by William Shakespeare

German adaptation by Thomas Brasch

Directed by Barbara Frey

13 April 2012 @ Schauspielhaus Pfauen , Zurich, Switzerland

A deeply psychological audiovisual theatrical treat

A well clad and apparently well educated Friday evening crowd gathers at Zurich’s intimate Schauspielhaus to be entertained by William Shakespeare…

…the German language, beautifully adapted by author, poet and film director Thomas Brasch a Yorkshire-born Berliner, is fitting for the rather rigid belligerent and tragic themes of betrayal , manipulation and cold blooded murder, which fuel the underlying current of The Tragedy of King Richard the Third.

Michael Maertens, while exceedingly convincing as a somewhat crazy, conniving and evil Richard of Gloucester, has an uncanny resemblance to Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects (1995 film directed by Bryan Singer) and is possibly less well practiced a cripple than the latter – which begs to question the genuineness of Richard’s affliction, also reminiscent of Spacey’s rendition of a remorseless, morally corrupt and quietly manipulative character.

This interpretation marries well with the contrasting feisty, aggressive yet distraught and submissive mourning mothers Queen Elizabeth, Queen Margaret and the aged Duchess of York – whose hysterics leave murderous Richard of Gloucester, but not the audience, unmoved. Indeed, all three leading ladies express their distress with a curious timber to their voice – a rasp akin to that of a long-time smoker’s – which lead the spectator to wonder if this was a directors choice or simply a direct consequence of excessive screaming and damage to the actors’ vocal chords. Irrespective, the hysterical bouts of shrieking in despair, well justified in light of the permanent waves of grievous murder, are drowned by loud competing musical interludes, a recurrent feature of the production, bringing an emotional and contemporary note of originality filling a minimalistic set, so providing added depth and a sense of spaciousness.

The acts of murderous violence were staged with impressive subtlety yet significant emotional impact, in particular the exquisitely realistic and daunting wails of pain during the murder of the Duke of Clarence, played by talented Fritz Fenne, were muted by the recurring loud musical interludes that ultimately culminate magnificently in the falling of King Richard the Third – the death of whom is quietly peaceful.

A screenshot-like final scene, a piece of Art in itself, brings the play to a close with all Richard’s silent victims individually confined in upright military-like containers – sealing the tragedy in the spectators mind’s eye for eternity.