'Richard II' (or 'The Life and Death of King Richard II') deserves to be performed and known much more than it is, neglect is something it really does not deserve. Personally do not find it lacking in depth and think it would be interesting for anybody interested in Shakespeare to study, its titular character and that it's told entirely in verse are reasons enough to give it a chance at least. It's not my favourite Shakespeare, but it is a long way from a waste of time.
Despite having Simon Russell Beale, who to me is one of the finer interpreters of Shakespeare today, in the title role, this 2019 production seen as part of the National Theatre Live series was a disappointment. It is semi-watchable and has its good things, primarily the acting, but it could have been so much more and is for me the second worst of the National Theatre Live Shakespeare productions seen (worst being the Rory Kinnear production of 'Macbeth'). Not a patch on the 1978 BBC Television Shakespeare production, one of the best of that series, or especially the stunning 'The Hollow Crown' adaptation if to briefly compare.
Personally thought that the acting was one of the better aspects of the production, with Beale giving the complex title role a noble stab, is a strong presence on stage and delivers his lines with brio. With the rest of the cast, Leo Bill's remarkably nuanced Bolingbroke, managing to keep his cool when the production started to get silly, and the poignant John of Gaunt of Joseph Mydell.
There are a few arresting moments, there is a little touch with gauntlets that was amusingly staged for instance. There is some nice energy here and there.
However, in my view the production looked rather ugly and under-budget. Not just the ill-fitting and drab costumes that fail to give a sense of time or place but also the overly-grim and simplistic set and too dim lighting. The production heavily cuts the play, which may not be a bad thing for non-fans (know plenty that don't like the play and its prose) but while it does ramble less with less text the drama is compromised as a result. It is too jumpy and one most likely needs to have some kind of familiarity with 'Richard II' already to make sense of what's going on, if not familiar one is likely to be completely at sea.
Not only was the staging an uneasy mix of very dramatically bland in some places and too hectic and too much of a joke in others, too much of it didn't seem in good taste as well with too many gimmicky and gratuitous touches. Do agree that it didn't feel enough like a live performance but more a filmed non-costume stagger through rehearsal. The delivery also could have slowed down and had more time to breathe and the production could have done without those jarring sound effects. Saskia Reeves does what she can but her role has always been underwritten to me and she gets lost amidst everything else going on.
Concluding, not a tragedy of a production but a long way from a triumph. 4/10
