Richard III at Rose Theatre

I do not need much urging to see any Shakespeare play and when it is on at my nearest theatre and holds the promise of being a modern version then going becomes a no-brainer.

Richard III is one of Shakespeare's more powerful, and dark, plays yet it gets performed much less frequently than, say, Lear, and I had only seen it twice in recent years, both in excellent productions.

And, as someone forced to watch Bridgerton, I was aware of Adjoa Andoh.

All that meant that I was quick to pay £40 for regular seat J33.

I walked to Rose Theatre giving myself enough time to buy a beer before going into the auditorium. It was pretty busy, which I always like to see.

I last saw Richard III in 2017 at Arcola Theatre so my memories of the story were not great. That may have helped this time as the story is the main point of the play with Richard rising to become king through the ruthless elimination of all competitors. Macbeth rises clumsily while Richard rises purposefully. It is possible to sympathise with Macbeth (or to blame his wife!) but Richard has no excuses. It's a gripping story and well worth watching again.

With Richard III at the heart of everything the play succeeds or fails on the actor playing the role and Adjoa Andoh was convincingly evil.

There were some modern elements to the production, such as Morris Dancing(!), these were small choices in the flavour of the piece and it remained a very recognisable Richard III, and I loved it for being so.

This production of Richard III managed to be both a traditional telling of the tale and have enough that was different to make it distinctive.