Review: Drag King Richard III

Drag King Richard III at Riverside Studios

Written by Dr Terri Power
Directed by Roz Hopkinson

Drag King Richard the Third is an interesting work, mixing the story of the protagonist Laurence with that of Richard III, both struggling with the bodies they were born with, both finding ways to allow the truth of who they are out, one a bitter Villain the other a distressed Hero. For Laurie, born biologically female, the frustration of living in the wrong body creates disturbing complications with his long-term friend La Femme, a butch lesbian who enjoys dressing in Femme drag.

Playwright Terri Power uses Shakespeare to both expose and highlight the tensions in a relationship where one person is struggling with what they are and the other person is struggling to keep hold of the person who being changed and refined. The tensions switch back and fore with the movements of a dance and this is highlighted in once scene where the Shakespearean dialogue, spat out with fury, full of treachery, writhing with plotting and loathing is shot through with the characters own beseeching tenderness and a unrequited wanton passion, all the while the actors go through the motions of a tango, at once heaving with intent and yet utterly controlled by the steps they must follow. It’s a wonderful Meta clash of style and content hinting at the levels within levels of this play and really made me sit up.

Ultimately this pieces rests with the relationship between the actors, as it’s an intimate portrait of change, not just of one individual and their Trans* journey, but also the changes that are wrought on us by time, experience and hesitancy, and of course by the actions and choices of others. The actors were accomplished, convincing and engaging and considering they had such little time to prepare they were also powerfully present.

Drag King Richard III is an autobiographical account of the gender transition of writer Terri Power’s childhood friend and how she deals with it and ultimately accepts and understands it. Female to Male experience of Transitioning is rarely presented in such a thoughtful and exposed way and Power’s careful blending of Richards Prose with the protagonist’s thoughts and actions convinces from the start. There are moments however when the connection between this most wicked of monarchs and the 21^st century journey of transition is tenuous and stretched and falls down a little and caused a giggle but the actors keep the tension well enough and the play is staged simply with effective lightning and some cool soundscapes to keep the attention focused.

It’s a crepuscular piece of work this, with some flashings of humour which only serves to highlight the gloom more, which is a pity as I felt a great connection to this pair of characters and thought there was huge scope for further development of the friendship and love between them to be explored.

All in all Drag King Richard the Third is well worth catching, it’s a thoughtful and powerful piece of directly challenging modern drama while allowing the humanity of its subject matter to sit next to us, turn to face us and speak directly to our own experiences of life

Recommended!

Drag King Richard III is on at Riverside Studios from 28^th July until 3^rdAugust 2014, for further information see their website here: