Review: Richard III (The Gift Theatre)

"Plain and not honest is too harsh a style"

Gift Theatre artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton, disabled by a stroke since 2003, portrays perhaps the most infamous disabled villain in all of literature. This project has been in the works for a several years, and seems like such an obvious vision that it's strange the production didn't come together a dozen years ago. Thornton has portrayed numerous characters not written as wheelchair-bound in The Gift Theatre's diminutive storefront on the far Northwest side - most notably Iago, another epic Shakespearean villain. Joined by several similarly talented Gift Ensemble members, led by established director Jessica Thebus, and presented in Steppenwolf Theatre's roomy garage space, Thornton as Richard III has all the makings of a Chicago theatrical classic. But sometimes in theatre, the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

Presented in the round, Thebus' production looks very drab. Suspended grey trees represent the barebones set. Most of the costuming is also done in greyscale, as are the wooden sticks that serve as daggers, spears, swords, and halberds. The male cast members all sport shaved heads and a full beard, with the inexplicable exception of Christopher Peltier in various roles. All of them wear earrings. Apart from being visually uninteresting, the reasons for these design choices aren't clear, particularly the stylized elements that reach just short of universal.

Uneven performances also thread the show, with half of the cast providing understated performances and the other half amping up the Shakespearean melodrama. Thornton's naturalistic portrayal works well to a point, but he throws away too many of his lines. His Richard controls the action throughout the play, uttering "stop" to freeze events and either begin a soliloquy or simply admire his handiwork. He then yells "now" to resume the action. What causes him to lose this power in the play's final scenes isn't made clear enough.

Utilizing an actor who has an actual disability lends an authenticity to a role typically portrayed with an exaggerated fake limp. Strangely, this production counterpoints that with joltingly less realistic choices. Young Prince Edward and Prince York are cast as women, so Hannah Toriumi and Brittany Burch need to play against both their sex and their age. A couple of the male ensemble members also play characters much older than themselves and do so without subtlety. A handful of over-the-top acting performances further distance the audience from the action.

Despite these numerous problems, several elements of the play do work nicely. The stylized, ritualistic beheadings, hauntings, and suffocation come off quite powerfully. The cast finds some welcome humor in this dark piece, particularly Jay Worthington and Martel Manning as the double act murderers. Richard's seduction of Anne isn't entirely convincing due to lack of chemistry between Thornton and Olivia Cygan, but the presentation of that scene is unique enough to prove captivating.

As the newly-crowned king to begin Act II, Thornton utilizes a ReWalk exoskeleton and an attendant (Kristen Hohl) to stride around the stage sans wheelchair. While it's great that technology is progressing to aid paralysis victims, Thornton ironically displays less mobility in this suit than he does in the first act, making the decision to use it puzzling. These images and the final moments of the play resonate powerfully as you might expect, but logistically they don't quite work. Awkward fight choreography, a confusing design, and inconsistent performances conspire to drag down a promising concept. As Queen Elizabeth would say, "Plain and not honest is too harsh a style."

Richard III continues through May 1st at Steppenwolf Garage, 1624 N. Halsted (map), with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays 3:30pm & 8pm, Sundays 3:30pm. Tickets are $30-$40, and are available by phone (312-335-1650) or online through Steppenwolf.org (check for half-price tickets at ). More information at TheGiftTheatre.org. (Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes, includes 20-minute intermission)

behind the scenes

Jessica Thebus (director), Michael Peterson (dramaturg), David Preis (technical director), Jacqueline & Richard Penrod (set design), Sully Ratke (costume design), (lighting design), Kevin O'Donnell (sound design, composer), Aaron Stephenson (sound design), John Tovar, SAFD (fight choreography), Michael Cotey (props design), Sarah Luse (stage manager), Claire Demos (photos)

Tags: 16-0314, Aaron Stephenson, Adrian Danzig, Brittany Burch, Caroline Latta, Chicago Theater, Christopher Peltier, Claire Demos, David Preis, Gift Theatre, Gregory Fenner, Hannah Toriumi, Jacqueline & Richard Penrod, Jay Worthington, Jenny Avery, Jessica Thebus, John Kelly Connolly, John Tovar, JR Lederle, Keith Glab, Keith Neagle, Kenny Mihlfried, Kevin O'Donnell, Kristen Hohl, Kyle Zornes, Martel Manning, Michael Cotey, Michael Patrick Thornton, Michael Peterson, Olivia Cygan, post, Sarah Luse, Shanesia Davis, Steppenwolf Garage, Sully Ratke, The Gift Theatre, Thom Cox, William Shakespeare

Category: 2016 Reviews, Gift Theatre, Keith Glab, Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, Video, William Shakespeare, YouTube