the Rice Thresher

Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Lauren Schoeffler Brown seniors Bryce Eakin and Michelle Moller shine as King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth in Baker College's performance of Richard III.

Shakespeare's play Richard III begins and ends with tremendous swordfights and bloody deaths, but the intense psychological drama that plays out in between is even more gripping in this new production by the Baker Shakespeare company. A strong cast featuring numerous Rice alumni and employees excels in the chilling Baker College performance.

The play itself depicts the scheming of Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Baker associate Joseph Lockett, Hanszen '91), a physically deformed nobleman whose ambition is to become King of England. He is determined to do so by any means and cruelly divides the other nobles into rival factions before killing them all. Richard's motives are not made clear until he has already murdered several of his foes, adding an element of psychological mystery to the play's early stages.

The production, directed by Baker junior Katy Mulvaney, features some clever ideas which make the play's visual element even more engaging. During the massive opening swordfight, Richard enters abruptly through a pit in the center of the stage, the same pit into which the dead bodies of his victims will be thrown in later scenes. Aside from the hole, the only adornment upon the bleak set is a stern, unwelcoming royal throne.

Also visually arresting is the costuming, which sets Richard and his allies apart from their victims. He and his main partner in crime, the Lady Buckingham (Wiess College senior Haley Richardson), are clad in modern formal attire, in contrast to the traditional period costume of most of the other cast members. Unfortunately, this clever idea is not always executed well with more minor characters, whose fashions are also dictated by their loyalties. One rather sadistic female executioner dresses like a cheap prostitute.

The lead actors are uniformly superb and clearly veterans of the Shakespearean tradition. As Richard, Lockett is mesmerizing, bringing intensity to his frequent speeches and creepy charm to the moments when he manipulates those around him. His useless right arm and limping gait appear startlingly real.

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