Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Classical Theatre of Harlem’s SEIZE THE KING shrewdly transforms “Richard III” into a panoramic cautionary play

• By drediman
• July 15, 2021
• No Comments

Last night, I ventured uptown to the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park to catch Classical Theatre of Harlem’s free outdoor production of Will Power’s Seize the King directed by Carl Cofield. The work is Mr. Power’s attempt at streamlining and re-contextualizing Shakespeare’s Richard III. It was a distinct pleasure to to be in the audience last night, especially given that the production is one of only a handful of fully-staged shows – how I’ve missed them! – I’ve seen during my post-pandemic theatergoing (most of the recent in-person performances I’ve seen have been either concerts, solo/stand-up comedy shows, semi-staged productions, or readings).

Mr. Power injects modern-day shrewdness and a certain levity to the Bard’s pitch black History Play, all the while maintaining a vague Shakespearian cadence throughout. Instead of honing in on the extremities of the underlying play’s sadistic occurrences, the playwright instead takes a more detached route, resulting in more of a panoramic cautionary play that highlights cycles of violence in history. The revisal also brings clarity and momentum to the proceedings and cuts down the running time to an efficiently plotted 95 minutes. One of the more fascinating – if jarring – aspects of the show is the incorporation of modern dance (the elegant choreography is by Tiffany Rea-Fisher) into the fabric of the show, typically during the interludes between scenes.

As with CTH’s last summertime endeavor (the excellentBacchae in 2019), the production values are impressive. Indeed, sets, lighting, sound, and costumes are all of the utmost professional quality, and are a sight for sore eyes. Additionally, the acting across the board is solid. Particular standouts include Ro Boddie, who as Richard wisely downplays the character’s inherent evil nature. Mr. Boddie instead sinuously depicts a corrupted Everyman, rather than an anomalous villain. Other notable performances include the impassioned Andrea Patterson as Richard’s wronged sister-in-law, as well as Carson Elrod, a fabulous character actor who skillfully navigates a number of supporting roles.

RECOMMENDED

SEIZE THE KING
Off-Broadway, Play / In-person
Harlem Theatre Company
1 hour, 35 minutes (without an intermission)
Through July 29