{"id":84775,"date":"2025-01-30T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=84775"},"modified":"2025-01-29T13:54:01","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T21:54:01","slug":"long-beach-shakespeare-richard-iii-review-anita-harris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/long-beach-shakespeare-richard-iii-review-anita-harris","title":{"rendered":"Theater Review: Excellent lead propels Long Beach Shakespeare Company\u2019s \u2018Richard III\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Theater News, a regular column by longtime reviewer Anita W. Harris. Look for it most Thursdays. Or sign up<\/a> for our Eat See Do newsletter to get it in your inbox.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power and leadership are strange bedfellows \u2014 you can be a good leader without being a glutton for power, and, as we\u2019ve seen throughout history, you can become powerful without necessarily being a good leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That dichotomy is dynamically explored in Long Beach Shakespeare Company\u2019s current production of William Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cRichard III,\u201d continuing through Feb. 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Led by an exceptional DeRod Taylor as the title character and spiritedly directed by Richard J. Martinez, the cast and crew of \u201cRichard III\u201d make Shakespeare\u2019s historical tragedy come alive, even on the intimate stage of the Helen Borgers Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Link<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Richard (Taylor) is jealous of his brother Edward (Michael Hovance) ascending to England\u2019s throne after a battle with the previous king. In his fiery opening monologue, Richard says he will become a villain since he can\u2019t be a lover like Edward because of his \u201cdeformity\u201d \u2014 a right arm that doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor\u2019s delivery here and throughout is strong and confident yet richly nuanced, allowing Richard to win over the audience with a villainous charm, perhaps because he openly declares what we might secretly feel sometimes. We become drawn in and complicit in Richard\u2019s plotting, eager to see if his intricate plans to seize the throne materialize, beginning with the demise of his other brother Clarence (Sallie Eskins), who never doubts Richard\u2019s love for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Richard\u2019s manipulative orchestrations continue with hired assassins and help from covert partner-in-crime Buckingham (an effective Ben Trotter), the body count of relatives gets disconcertingly high, including women and children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martinez\u2019s direction keeps things moving at a decent clip through the many episodes of the first act and has actors deliver lines with gusto and also gestures that emphasize meaning \u2014 such as looking into an actual mirror when self-reflecting \u2014 all of which help with Shakespeare\u2019s sometimes dense, often rhyming language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From left: Brandon Silva, Michael Hovance, DeRod Taylor and Ben Trotter in Long Beach Shakespeare Company’s “Richard III.” Photo courtesy of Long Beach Shakespeare Company.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The second act becomes more compelling after Richard has achieved his goal, having coyly and amusingly feigned reluctance before his inevitable crowning. But we now see Richard falter a bit as king, and so desperate to maintain power that he doubts even the loyal Buckingham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also hear the women of his family lament the loss of their children in a powerful scene involving Richard\u2019s mother (Randi Tahara), who has now lost two sons; Edward\u2019s widow (Ali Kimmel), who also has lost two sons; and Margaret, widow of the previous king and a \u201cprophetess\u201d who is good at cursing people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three women\u2019s intensely shared grief and anger are palpable thanks to these actors\u2019 passionate deliveries, casting a grim shadow over Richard\u2019s deeds. If he was still sort of your evil hero to this point, you might not feel the same after this scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From left: Randi Tahara, Ali Kimmel and Megan Brown in Long Beach Shakespeare Company”s “Richard III.” Photo courtesy of Long Beach Shakespeare Company.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And when Richard, on the eve of battle \u2014 after a night of dream visitations by all those he\u2019s murdered \u2014 seems to neglect donning his armor in time, or even securing a ride (\u201cmy kingdom for a horse!\u201d), well, you do feel like he deserves what comes in an exciting and emotionally satisfying conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The play boasts an impressive cast of 16 actors, many of whom play multiple roles, often after their previous character dies. Depending on acting experience, though, deliveries can range from flat to shrill, with some needing enunciation and some fumbling lines. But collectively they get the job done and all seem engaged in spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor ultimately carries this production, with Trotter as Buckingham holding his own along with Eskins as both Clarence and the assassin Tyrrell. Shoutouts also to Tahara for subtlety, Kimmel for emotional intensity and Alan Bornemann for soft stage presence, subtle reactions and sporting a British accent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costumes (Terry Hill) are also lovely with varying fabrics, colors and patterns, and lighting (Connie Lynne) and sound (Scott Kanzelmeyer) assist well in changing the tone with each scene. Fight choreography \u2014 including swords and fatal stabbings \u2014 by Dylan J. Sampson is also commendable, adding suspense to the ending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History can be enjoyable in the form of a well-structured play like \u201cRichard III,\u201d even if the playwright may not have been entirely accurate<\/a> about the man. And Long Beach Shakespeare Company\u2019s lively and engaging staging definitely does it justice, making this production a must-see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRichard III\u201d continues through Feb. 8 at the Helen Borgers Theatre, 4250 Atlantic Ave., with shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, call (562) 997-1494 or visit <\/i>LBShakespeare.org<\/i><\/a>. Run time is 2 hours and 55 minutes, including intermission.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A dynamic performance by DeRod Taylor imbues the title character with a villainous charm that quickly wins over the audience before the inevitable \u2014 and emotionally satisfying \u2014 conclusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":84783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[32337],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32310],"class_list":["post-84775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-theater-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84775"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84787,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84775\/revisions\/84787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84775"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=84775"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=84775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}