Nikita Chabatar as "Richard", photo courtesy of Elizaveta Mashkovich
The form of a chamber solo performance highlights Shakespeare’s focus on the central villain-genius character...
...Instead of the gloomy vaults of medieval castles, the political playground was transferred to a desk that was turned by the play’s set designer Alexander Adamov into a place for Richard’s manipulations. The victims of his intrigues are literally made as toys in Duke of Gloucester’s hands. The props and most of the characters are replaced by ready-made objects and silent puppets, dialogues’ sound recordings, and the screen to which live images from Richard’s phone are transmitted. Faceless and voiceless victims, enemies, and even Gloucester’s allies create a background for the single hero (antihero to be correct) performed by Nikita Chabatar, whose figure dominates in the play’s space.
