The War of the Roses - my impressions of the production

As most may be aware TWOTR is a sweeping saga that covers the reigns of Richard II through Richard III, and the Sydney Theatre Company's production encapsulates this history over either 2 evenings or a full day's performance. I attended the opening nights 27/28 Feb in Perth and was swept away in STC's story and portrayal of Shakespeare's History plays. Without giving away too much of the staging of this production - which I highly recommend - here are a few of my thoughts: Design - astonishing: I was enthralled by the golden confetti throughout Richard II's reign, and the way it was used to convey majesty or at least dominance, as it gilded the heads of monarchs and usurpers alike. The set change that occurs during the deposing of Richard II was inspired, and the echos of the sooty snow throughout Richard III's "winter of discontent" showed how the once-golden era had become a dirty reflection of itself. The blood! One would expect plenty, but the way it and other bodily fluids were dispensed was extermel visceral & evocative. Any hint of manners or propriety were as quickly dispatched as many of the characters. Both murderers and murdered wallowed in blood & dust by the end of the performance. Sound/music - supported the drama well, however I at times found the miking of certain characters a little distracting in its amplification. Performances/direction: very high standard as one would expect. Standout characterisations/moments for me included: Cate Blanchett as the immature regent Richard II - especially his delicious giggling throughout "serious discussions", and his childlike guilt/embarrasment/rage at being deposed. Ewen Lesley as Henry IV - the scenes depicting just how far the prince will go to express his dissolution & baseness in contrast to his furture nobility were an interesting take on the character development. Eden Falk as Henry VI - harkens back as an even more exaggerated version of Richard II - his babyish king was very effective. Marta Dusseldorp as Margaret of Anjou - it was wonderful to watch the progression of her character throught the second half of the production. Her most powerful moments for me occurred after Henry VI is deposed, as she transforms into a prophetess of doom. For me, Pamela Rabe's portrayal of Richard III was the high point of the production - I was awed by his power-mad abandonment of any semblance of mercy or propriety as he plotted and murdered his way to the crown. Among many wonderful moments I particularly enjoyed the playground games with his nephews and niece, which fortold the coming reality of the make-believe. I very much enjoyed the gender-neutral portrayals of many characters thoughout the production, as for me they added to the layers of each character, as well as enhanced the overall cohesion of the cast as a whole. I was also pleased to see that Cate Blanchett's powerful performance went far beyond the simple star-quality-ticket-sales it could be expected to attract. While it was great to experience her exceptional talent live on stage (remember this is Perth so many of us are suitably thrilled already!), her performance enhanced but did not overshadow that of her colleagues onstage. I am a recent member of what was recently dubbed the RSC - "Reading Shakespeare Club", who gets together about weekly to read aloud all of Shakespeare's plays. I do not presume to know much about Shakespeare, but I am enjoying learning. In honour of the upcoming STC production we have just done all the histories up to HVI part 2, so that helped me a lot in following the twists & turns of plot. This production has done a lot to assist viewers to understand the story, through pre-show notes emailed to ticket holders, through copious program notes, family trees & even during the second half, with "surtitles" of a sort, which helped to keep the audience on the same page as the performers. The only portion for me which suffered a little was in Henry V. I am not exceptionally familiar with that text, however I did find it a little difficult to remain focussed through the volume of expostion/oration required to steer us through this portion of the Wars. This is not a criticism of the performers, rather a dilemma that I suspect most directors would face at this point in the proceedings. I'd be interested to hear others' opinions of this section of the history plays. Overall - a challenging but very rewarding production. I intended this to be a brief review! Although considering the breadth of the subject matter, perhaps it still is. If any readers still with me happen to be in the cast or company, kindly pass along my congratulations & best wishes for the remainder of the run to all involved in this very special production. Lisa