The Tragedy of Richard the Third

Plot Summary

After years of civil unrest between the royal Houses of York and Lancaster, the Yorkist Edward IV is undisputed king. His brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester, plots to seize the throne for himself, removing anybody in his path. Richard decides he needs a wife and sets out to woo Lady Anne, widow of Henry VI's heir. Against all the odds he wins her and celebrates by having his brother Clarence covertly killed in the Tower. On hearing of Clarence's death, Edward IV is taken ill and dies. In his new role as Lord Protector, Richard has Edward's heirs confined in the Tower, supposedly for safe-keeping and to await the coronation. Edward IV's widow, Queen Elizabeth, mistrusts Richard and is proved right when he orders the execution of her brother Rivers and son (by her first marriage) Grey. The Duke of Buckingham becomes Richard's chief adviser and together they mastermind and manipulate Richard's accession to the throne. Richard promises Buckingham an earldom for his help but refuses to grant it when Buckingham will not kill the princes held in the Tower. Richard finds other killers. Fearing for his safety, Buckingham flees to join the last Lancastrian heir Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who is leading an army from France against Richard. Having willed the death of his wife Anne, Richard plans to marry Edward IV's daughter (also Elizabeth, not seen in the play) in order to prevent Richmond from doing so and thereby strengthening his claim to the throne; Queen Elizabeth tricks him by pretending that she will assist him in this. Richmond and his followers arrive in England and the two armies camp close at Bosworth Field. The night before the battle, the Ghosts of his victims torment Richard in his dreams. The next day Richard is killed in battle and Richmond claims the crown as Henry VII. He announces he will marry Elizabeth of York and finally unite the two warring factions.

RSC Staging History 1960-2007

1961 RST: William Gaskill
Jocelyn Herbert, Sally Jacobs (design); Richard Pilbrow (lighting); Marc Wilkinson (music); John Barton (fights)

Christopher Plummer (Richard III), Eric Porter (Buckingham), Peter McEnery (Clarence), Colin Blakely (Hastings), Edith Evans (Margaret), Jill Dixon (Lady Anne), Elizabeth Sellars (Elizabeth), Esme Church (Duchess of York), Tony Church (Edward IV), Gordon Gostelow (Norfolk/First Murderer), David Buck (Oxford), Russell Hunter (Blunt/Second Murderer), Julian Battersby (Archbishop of Canterbury/Surrey), Clifford Rose (Bishop of Ely/Brakenbury), Redmond Phillips (Stanley), Michael Murray (Earl Rivers), Peter Holmes (Marquis of Dorset), Gareth Morgan (Grey), Paul Bailey (Lord Lovel), James Kerry (Ratcliffe), Ian Richardson (Catesby), David Buck (Tyrell), William Wallis (Mayor of London), Brian Murray (Richmond)

1963 RST/1964 Aldwych/1964 RST: Peter Hall, with John Barton and Frank Evans (performed with a two part adapatation of Henry VI as 'The Wars of the Roses')
John Barton (adaptation). John Bury (design); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Ian Holm (Richard III), Tom Fleming/William Squire (Buckingham), Charles Kay (Clarence), Hugh Sullivan (Hastings), Peggy Ashcroft (Margaret), Janet Suzman (Lady Anne), Susan Engel (Elizabeth), Madoline Thomas (Duchess of York), Roy Dotrice (Edward IV), Philip Brack (Norfolk/Second Murderer), Michael Murray (Oxford), Jolyon Booth (Bishop of Ely), Jeffery Dench (Stanley), Roy Marsden (Earl Rivers), John Hussey (Ratcliffe), Ian McCulloch/Charles Thomas (Catesby), Brian Harrison (Tyrell), Robert Jennings (Brakenbury), Ken Wynne (Mayor of London), Clifford Rose (First Murderer), Derek Waring/Eric Porter (Richmond), Penelope Keith (Mayor's Wife), John Normington (Citizen)

1970 RST: Terry Hands
Farrah (design); John Bradley (lighting)

Norman Rodway (Richard III), Ian Richardson (Buckingham), Terrence Hardiman (Clarence/Mayor of London), Barry Stanton (Hastings), Sheila Burrell (Margaret), Helen Mirren (Lady Anne), Brenda Bruce (Elizabeth), Eileen Beldon (Duchess of York), Patrick Stewart (Edward IV), Sara Kestelman (Jane Shore)

1975 TOP: Barry Kyle
John Napier (design)

Ian Richardson (Richard III), Tony Church (Buckingham/Richmond), George Baker (Clarence/Mayor of London), Bob Peck (Hastings), Brenda Bruce (Margaret), Celia Bannerman (Lady Anne), Barbara Leigh-Hunt (Elizabeth), Jeffery Dench (Edward IV/Tyrell), Gareth Armstrong (Oxford/Brackenbury/Grey), Christopher Saul (Bishop of Ely/Earl Rivers), Griffith Jones (Stanley), Terence Wilton (Ratcliffe/Murderer), Charles Dance (Catesby/Murderer), Ann Hasson (Jane Shore)

1980 RST/1981 Aldwych: Terry Hands
Farrah (design); Terry Hands, Clive Morris (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Alan Howard (Richard III), Derek Godfrey (Buckingham), Richard Pasco (Clarence), Bruce Purchase (Hastings), Barbara Leigh-Hunt (Margaret), Sinéad Cusack (Lady Anne), Domini Blythe (Elizabeth), Judith Harte/Marjorie Yates (Duchess of York), David Suchet (Edward IV), John Carlisle (Bishop of Ely), Trevor Baxter (Stanley), Brett Usher (Earl Rivers), Peter Settelen (Marquis of Dorset), Rob Edwards (Grey), Bille Brown (Lord Lovel), John Bowe (Ratcliffe), Tom Wilkinson (Catesby), Arthur Kohn (Tyrell), Paul Webster/David Bradley (Brakenbury), Shay Gorman (Mayor of London), James Hazeldine (First Murderer), Joe Melia (Second Murderer), Jonathan Hyde (Richmond), Judy Buxton/Catherine Riding (Jane Shore), Felicity Dean (A Woman)

1984 RST/1985 Barbican/1986 Australian Tour: Bill Alexander
William Dudley (design); Leo Leibovici (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Antony Sher (Richard III), Malcolm Storry/Christopher Ravenscroft (Buckingham), Roger Allam/Jim Hooper (Clarence), Brian Blessed/Pete Postlethwaite/Geoffrey Freshwater (Hastings), Patricia Routledge (Margaret), Penny Downie/Caroline Goodall (Lady Anne), Frances Tomelty/Penelope Beaumont (Elizabeth), Yvonne Coulette (Duchess of York), Harold Innocent/John Carlisle (Edward IV), Andrew Jarvis (Norfolk), Steven Pinner (Oxford), Donald McKillop (Bishop of Ely), Peter Miles (Stanley), Adam Bareham/Stephen Simms (Earl Rivers), Andrew Hall (Marquis of Dorset), Andy Readman/Nicholas Bell (Grey/Surrey), Ian McKenzie (Ratcliffe), Simon Templeman (Catesby), Jim Hooper (Tyrell), Paul Gregory (Brakenbury), Norman Henry (Mayor of London), Brian Parr (First Murderer), Siôn Probert (Second Murderer), Christopher Ravenscroft (Richmond), Sarah Woodward (Lady)

1988 RST/1989 Barbican: Adrian Noble (performed with a two-part adaptation of Henry VI as 'The Plantagenets')
Bob Crowley (design); Chris Parry (lighting); Edward Gregson (music)

Anton Lesser (Richard III), Oliver Cotton (Buckingham), David Morrissey (Clarence), Edward Peel (Hastings), Penny Downie (Margaret), Geraldine Alexander (Lady Anne), Joanne Pearce (Elizabeth), Marjorie Yates (Duchess of York), Ken Bones (Edward IV), Jason Watkins (Norfolk/Brakenbury), Jeffrey Segal (Bishop of Ely), Darryl Forbes-Dawson/Robert Demeger (Stanley), Edward Harbour (Earl Rivers), Jo James/Kenn Sabberton (Marquis of Dorset), Kevin Doyle (Grey), Mark Hadfield (Lovel), Richard Bremmer (Ratcliffe), Patrick Robinson (Catesby), Raymond Bowers (Tyrell/Mayor of London), Simon Dormandy (Richmond), Ralph Fiennes (Ghost of Henry VI), Kenn Sabberton (Messenger), Cissy Collins (Citizen)

1992 TOP/1992-93 Small-scale Tour (Donmar Warehouse, London; Tokyo; Rotterdam, etc.)/1993 Swan: Sam Mendes
Tim Hatley (design); Paul Pyant (lighting); Paddy Cunneen (music)

Simon Russell Beale/Ciaran Hinds (Richard III), Stephen Boxer (Buckingham), Simon Dormandy (Clarence/Ratcliffe), Christopher Hunter (Hastings/Second Murderer), Cherry Morris (Margaret), Annabelle Apsion (Lady Anne), Kate Duchêne (Elizabeth), Ellie Haddington (Duchess of York), Mike Dowling (Edward IV), Mark Benton (Bishop of Ely/Marquis of Dorset/First Murderer), Sam Graham (Stanley/Brakenbury), Michael Packer (Earl Rivers/Tyrell), Mark Lewis Jones (Grey/Richmond), Daniel Ryan (Catesby)

1995 RST/1996 Barbican: Steven Pimlott
Tobias Hoheisel (design); Hugh Vanstone (lighting); Jason Carr (music)

David Troughton (Richard III), John Nettles (Buckingham), Michael Siberry (Clarence), Paul Bentall (Hastings), Cherry Morris (Margaret), Jennifer Ehle/Rachel Sanders (Lady Anne), Susan Brown (Elizabeth), Diana Coupland (Duchess of York), Robin Nedwell (Edward IV/Mayor of London), Victor Spinetti (Archbisop of Canterbury), Clifford Rose (Stanley), Robert Arnold (Earl Rivers), SimonChadwick (Marquis of Dorset), Justin Shevlin/Orlando Seale (Grey), Lionel Guyett (Ratcliffe), Mark Bazeley (Catesby), Don Gallagher (Tyrell), Robert Lister (Brakenbury), Paul Bettany (Richmond), Paul Hilton (Second Murderer), Rachel Sanders (Jane Shore)

1998 RST/1998 Savoy: Elijah Moshinsky
Rob Howell (design); Peter Mumford (lighting); Corin Buckeridge (music)

Robert Lindsay (Richard III), David Yelland (Buckingham), Kevin McMonagle (Clarence), Robert East (Hastings), Anna Carteret (Margaret), Rachel Power (Lady Anne), Sian Thomas (Elizabeth), Dilys Hamlett (Duchess of York), Benny Young (Edward IV), David Semark (Norfolk), Russell Gomer (Bishop of Ely), David Killick (Stanley), Dickon Tyrrell (Earl Rivers/Tyrell), Jon Fenner (Marquis of Dorset), Jo Stone-Fewings (Grey/Richmond), Tom Bowles (Catesby), Charles Baillie (Brakenbury)

2001 Swan/2001 Young Vic: Michael Boyd ('This England: the Histories')
Tom Piper (design); Heather Carson (lighting); James Jones (music)

Aidan McArdle (Richard III), Richard Cordery (Buckingham), Rhashan Stone (Clarence), David Beames (Hastings), Fiona Bell (Margaret), Aislin McGuckin (Lady Anne), Elaine Pyke (Elizabeth), Deirdra Morris (Duchess of York), Tom Beard (Edward IV), John Kane (Bishop of Ely), Keith Bartlett (Stanley), Richard Dillane (Earl Rivers), Robert Barton (Grey), Gavin Marshall (Ratcliffe), James Tucker (Catesby), Jake Nightingale (Tyrell), Philip Brook (Mayor of London), Sam Troughton (Richmond)

2003 RST: Sean Holmes
Anthony Lamble (design); Tim Mitchell (lighting); Adrian Lee (music)

Henry Goodman (Richard III), Malcolm Sinclair (Buckingham), Ian Gelder (Clarence), Michael Hadley (Hastings), Sheila Reid (Margaret), Lisa Stevenson (Lady Anne), Maureen Beattie (Elizabeth), Cherry Morris (Duchess of York), David Fielder (Edward IV/Norfolk), Tom Anderson (Bishop of Ely/First Murderer), James Hayes (Stanley), John Killoran (Earl Rivers), David Peart (Grey/Lord Mayor), John Lightbody (Ratcliffe), John Lloyd Fillingham (Catesby), Bradley Freegard (Richmond/Brakenbury)

2007 Courtyard (Complete Works Festival, re-working of 2001): Michael Boyd
Tom Piper (design); Heather Carson (lighting); John Woolf, James Jones (music); Andrea J. Cox (sound); Liz Ranken (movement); Terry King (fights)

Jonathan Slinger (Richard III), Richard Cordery (Buckingham), James Tucker (Clarence), Tom Hodgkins (Hastings), Katy Stephens (Margaret), Hannah Barrie (Lady Anne), Ann Ogbomo (Elizabeth), Maureen Beattie (Duchess of York), Forbes Masson (Edward IV), Miles Richardson (Bishop of Ely), Keith Bartlett (Stanley), Geoffrey Streatfeild (Earl Rivers), Chris McGill (Grey), Matt Constain (Ratcliffe), Julius D'Silva (Catesby), John MacKay (Tyrell), Kieran Hill (Mayor of London), Roger Watkins (Archbishop of York), Paul Hamilton (Oxford), Geoffrey Freshwater (Scrivenor), Lex Shrapnel (Richmond), Antony Bunsee (Brackenbury), Keith Dunphy (Lovell), Nicholas Asbury (Murderer), Chuk Iwuji (Ghost of Henry VI), Clive Wood (Ghost of York), Patrice Naiambana (Ghost of Warwick), Wela Frasier (Lord Mayor's Attendant), Alexia Healy (as cast)