Eric Ting combines Shakespeare’s Richard III, Henry VI, Part 1, 2, and 3, into a single production, War of the Roses.
William Shakespeare’s Richard III’s enduring popularity is a testament to the entertainingly diabolical depiction of the play’s namesake. King Richard III conniving his way to the throne is only detailed, however, in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 1, 2, and 3, which not only feature Shakespeare’s longest soliloquy and a very unflattering depiction of Joan of Arc, but also explain the surviving members of the previously ruling House of Lancaster’s bitter grudges against the conquering Yorks.
Half of California Shakespeare Theater’s four-show season consists of Shakespeare plays, although Cal Shakes used to include at least three Shakespeare plays. While this season has only one slot devoted to Shakespeare, it’s a doozy, cramming four plays into a single show. Artistic director Eric Ting helms an epic War of the Roses that condenses all three Henry VI plays and Richard III into one production.
Ting’s production, with the support of dramaturge Philippa Kelly, will be a long, one-night affair. All the performances have early show times to get people home at a reasonable hour. Impish Cal Shakes favorite Danny Scheie plays the crafty Richard, co-starring with fellow beloved company stalwarts Stacy Ross and Aldo Billingslea.
This is not to be confused with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Wars of the Roses, a more modest compression of the tetralogy into a trilogy that debuted in 1963. Adapted by John Barton, The Wars of the Roses condenses the three Henry VI plays into two, with the third part a trimmed version of Richard III. UC Berkeley’s drama department produced that version at Zellerbach Playhouse in 1987.
The War of the Roses, Aug. 22-Sep. 9, Tue-Sat 7 p.m.; Sun. 3 p.m.; Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda; $20-$87; CalShakes.org.
This report was originally published in our sister publication, the East Bay Monthly.
