THE HANGOVER REPORT – Thomas Ostermeier’s high-octane, renegade RICHARD III stuns at BAM

Lars Eidinger as "Richard III" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Lars Eidinger as “Richard III” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Last night, I was left gasping at the thrill ride that is Thomas Ostermeier’s production of Shakespeare’s Richard III, sure to be one of the highlights of this year’s Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The no-holds-barred production, courtesy of Schaubühne Berlin, mirrors the irresistible villain himself – renegade, completely playing by its own rules (at almost three hours in length, no intermission?). Indeed, the production that Mr. Ostermeier has concocted is simultaneously unapologetic in its brashness yet oh-so-seductive (unfortunately, the production ended its brief run at BAM this weekend).

As played to the hilt by Lars Eidinger in one of the most stunning, and sexy, performances I’ve encountered in recent memory, our anti-hero is a thrill-seeker in an over-sensitized world. His high-octane portrayal is not necessarily the calculated schemer of yore; this Richard is more interested in simply seeing just how far he can push his outrageous antics. The result is akin to watching a druggie take his addiction to the brink, and beyond.

Although Mr. Eidinger is capably supported by a game cast, there is no doubt this version – adapted with a devious smirk, in German (with English titles), by Marius von Mayenburg – is focused solely on Richard’s demented psychology. The politics of it all, refreshingly, takes a back seat here. The play’s final scenes are harrowing and haunting, as Richard is subsumed into the abyss of his own voracious, pitch-black soul. This is sensational, terrifying, and altogether unforgettable, theater.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

RICHARD III
Off-Broadway, Play
BAM Harvey
2 hours, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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