A peaceful England. Family. Small children. But obstacles can be overcome.

Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold (King Charles III, The Merchant of Venice, Medea) brings Shakespeare's most notorious villain to the Almeida Theatre with a cast that includes Ralph Fiennes as Richard and Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Margaret.

 

"Resonates powerfully. Fiennes is chilling... Vanessa Redgrave brings an unexpected gentleness to queen Margaret."

-Evening Standard

 

"Ralph Fiennes is a masterly, transfixing Richard"
-The Observer

 

Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Rupert Goold 
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave

 

War-torn England is reeling after years of bitter conflict. King Edward is ailing, and as political unrest begins to stir once more, Edward’s brother Richard – vicious in war, despised in peacetime – awaits the opportunity to seize his brother’s crown.

 

Through the malevolent Richard, Shakespeare examines the all-consuming nature of the desire for power amid a society riddled by conflict. Olivier-winning director Rupert Goold’s (Macbeth, King Charles III) searing new production hones a microscopic focus on the mythology surrounding a monarch whose machinations are inextricably woven into the fabric of British history.