The Tragedy of King Richard III — La Boite

Overview

Kings want to reign for years, but if they can't, then they'll certainly want to follow in Richard III's footsteps. He only sat on the throne for two orbits around the sun, getting the position in rather dubious circumstances and eventually meeting his demise at the hands of the rebellion; however his tale is among royalty's most famous.

That's what happens when William Shakespeare writes a play about you, after all. And yet, that's not the end of old Dick's tale. Though he died in battle in 1485, his body wasn't actually discovered until 2012 — and in a supermarket car park, of all places. No wonder Marcel Dorney and Daniel Evans have come up with a new theatre production that probes real life, the Bard's take and our continuing fascination.

The Tragedy of King Richard III excavates the play, the man and the reasons that its titular figure still gets tongues wagging. Even if you think you know everything there is to know about one of history and drama's greatest villain, you haven't seen him dissected and contemplated quite like this before.