MovieChat Forums > Richard III (1995) Discussion > Staging Richard III

Staging Richard III

posted 18 years ago by Lathspell
4 replies | jump to latest

This might be a bit off-topic, but this forum seems rather active, so I hope you'll bear with me. I'm hoping to stage a production of Richard III sometime soon, but with minimal budget (i.e. next to nothing), and I'm unsure of what period to set it in. Ideally, I wouldn't set it in "modern times", i.e. using clothes that we wear today, 'cause that's just the easy way out, so what period do you think would put an interesting spin on this play? Thank you for hearing me.

"The problem with political jokes is they get elected." -Henry Cate VII

[–] Razzbar 18 years ago

See "Titus" with Anthony Hopkins...

Hint: It doesn't have to be -any- "period". Make one up.

Shakespeare has even been done in medeval Japan. Anything goes.

[–] artwk 18 years ago

I agree with the respodent who recommended "Titus". Shakespeare's plays are entertaining and imaginative fiction, not historical records. Setting them in a precise period seldom works well if the production attempts to be realistic while at the same time anachronistic. Look at the appalling productions of Wagner's operas in modern dress, where the gods and giants look like boring middle-aged business executives and schoolteachers. Dull, dull, dull!

Let your imagination run free. Mix and match. Exaggeration in costuming, however outlandish, is better than tedium. My only concern in such matters is that the text should be respected. Let's not forget that Skakespeare's staging of "Julius Caesar" was in Elizabethan dress. Togging up the Romans in authentic togas makes nonsense of his reference to a man's "doublet".

Best wishes for your production.

[–] OttoVonB 18 years ago

Stage it in prehistoric times. That would be a ball!

[–] mediocredave 17 years ago

I was going to say that! Or some kind of tribe. Use body paints and save on costume!