Richard III at A Noise Within

Pasadena, CA 02/14/26

The stark, colorless stage, painted in mottled grays and black, thrusts into the laps of a pensive and curious audience. A bleak background sheet of dusty, translucent plastic holds back the timid light from feckless sources somewhere beyond. Shafts of blue-white light stab down from the dark upper reaches of the fly space, illuminating an arrangement of simple chairs, stacked high; some wood, some metal, all dressed in dusky earth tones and assembled in geometric chaos. Somewhere far away, the music of Gary Wright and Emerson, Lake and Palmer struggles to enter the consciousness but is rebuffed by that austere puzzlement that dominates the stage, snares the eye, and pricks the imagination.

There’s a sudden light change. Shadows appear on the grey-lit plastic. It quickly surrenders to a company of steely-eyed players who enter with purpose. They disassemble the chair-havoc at center stage, revealing, at last, a golden crown with jagged points like shark’s teeth. It sits on two sheets of paper, one round and red, one square and white and scratched with ink. The players all pause in awed consideration of the thorny headpiece. Transfixed by the players’ transfixion, the audience surmises that this spiky symbol is at the heart of the story about to unfold. A lone player turns their attention to the leaf of white, ink-inflected paper, scans the markings, and begins to read.

So begins the opening night performance of Richard III at A Noise Within in Pasadena. It is Valentine’s Day, and a well-heeled audience has gathered to be romanced by one of Shakespeare’s most magnetic, witty, amoral, and delightfully wicked villains. Richard takes us with him as he lies, manipulates, seduces, and murders his way onto the throne of England, becoming, as it turns out, the last Plantagenet king of England. The story begins with a high-energy recap of English history, using snippets of other Shakespeare history plays to take us from the death of Richard II right through the beginning of the Wars of the Roses to the reign of the capable but indulgent Edward IV.

A hell of a ride

At the end of this lightning pre-show, all that remains on stage is Richard, Duke of Gloucester, in a rumpled grey suit, his shrunken right arm at one end rooted in a deformed shoulder and its lifeless hand at the other end jammed into his trouser pocket. He smiles and smokes a cigarette. The only color on the stage is his shock of unruly red hair. His eyes are alive, scanning the audience like a big cat seeking the weakest of the herd. At his waist is a shiny dagger. In his other pocket is a stainless steel butterfly knife, the preferred weapon of pimps, thieves, and doers of dirty deeds. We become Richard’s confidant as we tag along with him on his merciless quest for power. He makes us smile, laugh, shiver, and shake our heads in disbelief. He has us in the palm of his hand right up to the moment he finally goes too far. It’s a hell of a ride.

Under the direction of Guillermo Cienfuegos, the story moves forward like white-water rapids. The players are in constant motion, leaping from place to place. Enormous projections of the names of people and locations help the audience keep pace and hold them captive to this bloody story. The director uses the mobile and minimal set pieces to rocket us from expansive battlefields to claustrophobic dungeons in an instant. Pay close attention to the nightmare sequence on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field. It will chill you to the bone. Cienfuegos is a visionary who has marshaled the talents of a wide array of theatre artists and put them all in service of the story. We are presented with Shakespeare at his best, bursting forth from the minds and mouths of players: unmitigated, unvarnished, and without apology.

And what players they are. The Richard III company is a crew of top-notch theatre veterans, journeymen, and emerging players that have teamed up to tell this story with world-class skill. From Lesly Fera’s grieving Elizabeth, to Lynn Robert Berg’s smooth and opportunistic Buckingham, to Trisha Miller’s haunting and Cassandraesque Margaret, to Tony Pasqualini’s forthright Stanley, there just aren’t enough superlatives available to describe the high quality of work this company delivers. Veralyn Jones leaves the audience slack-jawed as the Duchess of York in her final condemnation of her son, King Richard III. In a scene that I personally love, Alex Neher and Wesley Guimarães portray the two murderers with a sly sophistication and the requisite pitch-black humor. I’m still smiling as I write this.

At the center of this brilliant company of players is Ann Noble as Richard. Ms. Noble delivers a searing, sexy, bestial, and unforgettable performance. Her finely tuned instrument can deliver language in cuts and thrusts at one moment and in soothing caresses the next. She is facile, eloquent, and utterly fearless. She gives us a Richard who is as dangerous and unpredictable as a wild boar or a feral pig. (Which we see emblazoned on the back of her Act II field jacket.)

Costumes by Christine Cover Ferro are understated and luxurious. Angela Balogh Calin gives us a scenic design that is minimal yet evocative in blacks and dark tones that make the occasional splashes of red (mostly blood) jump into view. Ken Booth’s lighting design, in cold whites, fluorescent glows, and the occasional practical light, maintains an atmosphere of moody menace.

This is a brilliantly conceived and executed production that is wicked good fun. It runs till 03/08/2026. Get your tickets now at A Noise Within website HERE.

A Noise Within is located at 3352 E Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107. Richard lll is recommended for mature audiences ages 14 and up. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (626) 356–3100 or go to anoisewithin.org.

*Special thanks to Lucy Pollak Public Relations.