The theater was amazing. They had rigging all over the place. The stage was set in the middle, and all the seats were set around it. That way we could lean over the railings and see everything, all at once.
The play has a lot of setup to get to the meat of things. In history, Richard II did some good things in his reign, but he made a bit of a mistake when he tried to cover up the death of someone that he'd ordered killed. He banished a couple guys-one for 6 years and one forever.
The one he banned for 6 years was pretty pissed about it, and since his dad (Duke of Lancaster) died while he was away, he found that to get his rightful estate back he was going to have to take the whole galdarn kingdom.
Meanwhile, Richard II had gone off to Ireland to try and claim it for the Crown. While he was busy there, the guy that he'd banned-Henry Bolingbroke-came back and took over the country with relative speed and ease. By the time Richard II came back from Ireland to try and salvage things, he found his entire kingdom wasn't his anymore. He was swiftly deposed.
No one really knows what happened to the real Richard II-the running theory is that he was starved to death in the Tower of London.
Shakespeare took a few liberties with history. We forgive him this-starvation isn't nearly as fun to watch as what HE set up.
The guy playing Richard 2 had white makeup on his face, fancy clothes, and red hair. Bit of a pompous ass, but not too bad considering what happened to him next.
When he was deposed by Henry Bolingbroke, the guy who becomes Henry IV, Richard, having passed off his crown pretty unwillingly, was wearing a plain white shift. He ripped off the wig and wiped off the makeup, right there on stage. Suddenly, he didn't look like the king anymore-not even remotely. He did a great monologue into a mirror and then smashed it on the floor, saying his image was shattered and he didn't know what he was anymore.
Things got more interesting when he was imprisoned. There he stood in the middle of the floor...and SAND starts FALLING from the CEILING onto this guy. For about five minutes. Cool metaphor for dust and ashes.
So, there he is, pining away his days in this lonely little cell, with sand down his shift and his hair gone and his crown, too...and then the LAST person who was loyal to him decides that he has to look good to his new king and cover up his indiscretion and STAB POOR RICH IN THE BACK. AND THEN THE CHEST.
Fake blood everywhere, as Richard is dragged across the sand still on the floor, leaving a puddle of the red stuff behind.
Then at the last scene, they drag him into the scene in his coffin and open up the lid. Hope the actor wasn't claustrophobic. It was kind of funny when things ended, the play went to blackout, and then the lights went up again, and he pops up out of the coffin, covered in sand, his white shift ruined by fake blood, his wig missing, his makeup all smeared off.
We cheered.
It was a good play-Tiff cried. I couldn't get over the way they dispatched Richard; I'm still kind of shocked about it. Stab the man in the back and then get him in the heart. Very metaphorical.
I have been tired and feeling kind of off all day, but it was worth the three hours down and three hours back.
Nothing going on today, however. I'm going into Grantham tomorrow and Edinburgh awaits me on Friday. I will get pictures of Edinburgh. I swear. They have to let me take a photo of something around here.
UPDATE: I guess something did go on today. An actor I watched, admired, and respected has died. I can't believe Heath Ledger is gone. I just can't believe it. I can't find the right words. I just don't know how to process this one. He was only 28; only 7 years older than me. I hope that wherever his soul is tonight that he's at peace.
Bec
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