If They’d Overthrown the Labour Party In London, the Latest ‘Richard III’ Is a Bureaucrat
Ben BrantleyJuly 18, 2014: The “hell-hound that doth hunt us all to death,” as Richard III is described by one of his many detractors, has been thoroughly domesticated. As portrayed by Martin Freeman at Trafalgar Studios here, the most terrifying psychopath in Shakespeare seems dangerous only in the manner of a persistent insurance salesman who might sell you a policy you don’t really need. Mr. Freeman, who just received Emmy nominations for his performances in Fargo and Sherlock: His Last Vow, is giving us a Richard who almost disappears before your eyes, even when he’s making orgasmic noises while strangling a victim with a telephone cord. That this is a man to be deeply and truly feared is suggested by all the evidence, except Mr. Freeman’s performance. Having recently seen two exceedingly grotesque Richards, in the persons of Kevin Spacey and Mark Rylance, I did find a certain relief in Mr. Freeman’s low-key interpretation. And I think there’s probably a case to be made for doing Richard as a bland bureaucratic functionary, to whom no one pays much heed until he starts lashing out. It’s an approach I’ve often seen applied to the scheming Iago in Othello.
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