Richard III
(Photo © Michal Daniel)
Chief among these attributes is charm. Dinklage's Richard is a smooth talker; he has an elegant yet personable demeanor and a silken voice that makes it easy to see why so many characters within the play are fooled by him. When others insult him, calling him names like "hedgehog," he appears unruffled. There's no need for him to wear his emotions on his sleeve when the appearance of graciousness may win him much more and inspire sympathy from the other characters and the audience. Even when this Richard suggests that someone be beheaded, it's done with a casual, charming smile that belies the horror of his request.
Unfortunately, while Dinklage makes a strong and charismatic Richard, the rest of the cast is wildly uneven. Ty Burrell as the Duke of Buckingham, who assists Richard in his rise to power, is one of the stronger supporting players. He successfully weds his words to his character's emotional state and is particularly effective in Buckingham's softly spoken final speech. Another strong presence is Isa Thomas as the mad Queen Margaret, widow to Henry VI. As she issues her curses against those who have supplanted her, the effect is chilling; Thomas's command of the stage is so absolute, it seems plausible that everyone else in the scene stands idly by while she makes her pronouncements. Harry Barandes, in the fairly minor role of Sir William Catesby, aquits himself quite well, as do the two murderers (David Don Miller and Matthew Maher) who end the life of Richard's brother, the Duke of Clarence (Ron Cephas Jones).
The rest of the cast ranges from serviceable to quite terrible. As Lady Anne, Kali Rocha is the worst offender, appearing to fake every single emotion. The pivotal scene in which Richard woos her to be his bride almost doesn't work because the actress is so unconvincing in her grief and, therefore, equally unconvincing in her change from hatred of Richard to a kind of piteous love. Mercedes Herrero plays Queen Elizabeth, wife to Richard's brother Edward IV (Tom Nelis), in a manner more appropriate to a TV sit-com than a Shakespearean tragedy; and Roberta Maxwell as the Duchess of York, mother to Richard III, is overly melodramatic.