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Casting a contemporary eye on Shakespeare
MARY CONWAY recommends a production of Richard II that makes a striking break with tradition
IN THE HERE AND NOW: Ayesha Dharker, Adjoa Andoh and Leila Farzad in Richard II
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The bard mourns the loss of comrades and troubadours, and looks for consolation with Black Country Jess
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MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a star-studded adaptation of Ibsen’s play that is devoid of believable humanity
Richard II
Globe Theatre online
IN THIS production of Shakespeare’s Richard II, all the roles are played by women of colour and the result is that stereotypes are blown to pieces and the play’s universality and contemporary significance amplified.
In place of the rather constrained view of a single-nation Plantagenet Britain straight from the history books, co-directors Lynette Linton and Adjoa Andoh capture the melange that is the England we know today with its complex ethnic range and cultural heritage.
Designer Rajha Shakiry’s costumes flaunt the purples and magentas, the greens and golds of Africa and Asia and all the characters wear combinations of dresses and trousers that evoke Moroccan bazaars and the exotic East.
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