Adjoa Andoh in Shakespeare's "Richard III"

Black News

Dec 8, 2022 - 02:13 Updated: Dec 8, 2022 - 02:19

Adjoa Andoh in Shakespeare's "Richard III"

Adjoa Andoh to direct and star in Shakespeare's 'Richard III'

at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Rose Theatre, Kingston

Rose Theatre and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres in association with Swinging The Lens present

RICHARD III

By William Shakespeare

Directed by and starring Adjoa Andoh

6 - 22 April 2023 at Liverpool Playhouse

Press Night - Tuesday 11 April at 7.30 pm

Following her critically acclaimed production of Richard II at Shakespeare's Globe, Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton) returns to the stage to direct and star as Shakespeare's most iconic and complex antihero, Richard III.

A tale of power plays and political manipulation, Richard III charts the rise of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who deceives and murders anyone who stands in his path to becoming king.

Adjoa Andoh said:

"Richard is a character I have loved since childhood. Growing up in a tiny Cotswold village in the 1960s & 70s, I immediately felt a connection to someone singled out because of their appearance.

On first reading Shakespeare's play as a child, I was outraged at the way Richard was portrayed, but now appreciate one of the questions Shakespeare posits - what happens to a person and their sense of self, if throughout their life bad intentions are ascribed to them based solely on their appearance? I call this body pathologising. It happens to many people in many circumstances across the world to this day, and in this production, I want to explore the story, and that question through the lens of race.

I'm delighted that the show is a co-production with Liverpool Playhouse, as my mother is a Liverpudlian, and finally I get to perform in her beloved city; our childhoods united on stage. I can't wait to whip off the corsets and share this production with audiences in Liverpool and London next spring.'

This original staging strips the text back to question: is Richard as wicked as Shakespeare portrays him, or is his villainy born out of exclusion?

Shifting its lens to race, based on Andoh's own experiences of growing up, this tenacious production asks what it means to be born into a society where you do not belong, and the human soul's capacity to withstand a hostile environment.

Suba Das, Creative Director of Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse said:

"Both the Playhouse and the Everyman have had a long history of incredible Shakespeare performances by Liverpool acting royalty from Pete Postlethwaite to David Morrissey to Kim Cattrall treading our boards in some of the bard's most iconic roles. It's an honour in my first year here to continue this proud tradition and with the team at Rose Theatre entice Adjoa off the 'Bridgerton' set and back to Liverpool (where her mum grew up) to take on Richard III, one of the greatest plays and characters ever written. As both lead actor and director, Adjoa is assembling a stunning cast and creative team around her for a production that will examine race and trauma. It's a timely reimagining and I'm so very proud our audiences at the Playhouse will be the first in the world to experience what will be one of the year's theatrical highlights."

Following the opening performances at Liverpool Playhouse, Richard III will transfer to the Rose Theatre, Kingston from 25 April to 13 May 2023.

Richard III

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Adjoa Andoh

A Rose Original and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres production in association with Swinging The Lens

Address: Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

Date: Thu 6 to 22 Apr 2023

Performance Times:

Afternoons at 1.30 pm -Thu 13, Thu 20 Apr

Afternoons at 2.00 pm - Sat 8, Sat 15, Sat 22 Apr

Evenings at 7.30 pm - Thu 6, Fri 7, Sat 8, Mon 10, Tue 11, Wed 12, Thu 13, Fri 14, Sat 15, Mon 17, Tue 18, Wed 19, Thu 20, Fri 21, Sat 22 Apr

Tickets: £11 to £50