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| Photo by Alastair Muir and Manuel Harlan |
Dear fab friends,
Perhaps only in London would you see two productions of Richard III running almost at the same time. At first was the all-male Propeller Theatre Company's staging of a Chainsaw Massacre meets Sweeney Todd version of this classic Shakespeare play. This was then shortly followed by the Old Vic's production with Kevin Spacey as lead and Sam Mendes as director.
It is inevitable, as we bitches would naturally do, to compare the two productions. Propeller's production splashed the stage with maximum buckets of blood, evoking the sheer brutality and ruthlessness of Richard III. Old Vic's production is more traditional in terms of sticking closely to the text, but contemporary.
Spacey as Richard III is damn quite exceptional and brilliant, definitely worthy of an Olivier. Richard Clothier, playing Propeller's Richard III, may not be as superb as Spacey, but his performance stands out as the more colorful and enjoyable portrayal.
So which one did I like better? Well then, I say with certainty that Propeller- to me- gave out a more bloody, brutal, inventive, yet funny and exciting production. Having said that, I still heart Kevin Spacey!
Yours,
La Dolce Vita
