RICHARD III At Cockpit Theatre Review

Anyone who knows me knows I love the Tudor period — and that fascination extends to how the Tudors came to rule, beginning with Henry VII’s defeat of Richard III at Bosworth in 1485. My dad has always firmly believed Richard didn’t kill the Princes in the Tower, and I studied Richard III in high‑school English. I’ve wanted to see a staged version ever since. Despite seeing many Shakespeare productions over the years, I’d never managed this one — until tonight.

Richard III at The Cockpit Theatre is a bold dystopian reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s most notorious villain, charting the rise, reign and fall of the controversial Plantagenet king through a production driven by physicality and rhythm.

One of the first things I noticed was the staging: performed with three rows on three sides, creating an intimate space. We become part of the world — the crowds being smiled to at the coronation, or brushed by cloaks or having actors perched on the stairs beside us.

Five oil drums dominate the space, used as percussion throughout. Performers tap, strike and pound them; at one point, even a ladder becomes an instrument. The gritty metallic soundscape is relentless — a rising avalanche of rhythm that director Nicolás Pérez Costa describes as “an unstoppable force that reflects the way power and its abuse can grow until they become overwhelming.”  The crescendo before Richard’s crowning, followed by sudden silence, is particularly effective.

Fir me there were three standout moments:

• Scenes of murder unfold in darkness lit by just flashlights, followed by total darkness. It’s stark, unsettling, and brutally efficient.
• During the nightmare scene, a vast sheet swallows Richard and his entanglement within it evoke the web he has woven and can no longer escape.
• Drums and ladders transform into a horse, before it’s dismantled leading to the iconic cry: “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” A clever, physical reinterpretation of desperation.

The visual world is expressionist: actors with white faces and black makeup, costumes in blacks, browns and greys, punctuated by sharp splashes of colour — Richard’s blue‑and‑gold coronation jacket, Queen Elizabeth’s red dress. Sequins, faux fur, leather and lace bodices add texture and weight — applause to the cast, who in the airless theatre draped themselves in thick cloaks while the audience fanned themselves with programmes.

Directed by and starring award‑winning Argentine theatre‑maker Nicolás Pérez Costa, whose work is known for its physical language and strong visual identity. His Richard uses crutches yet also sits and stomps on the drums, spitting and dribbling into a handkerchief. Bare‑chested beneath a leather and fishnet‑style top until his coronation. This take fully leans into an ambitious and power-hungry Richard. 

The production arrives in London after a critically acclaimed run in Madrid and multiple Spanish Off Theatre Award nominations. At only 90 minutes, cuts were inevitably made to the original text, giving the production a brisk pace — though even for someone familiar with the story, it was occasionally hard to follow.

Tricia Hitchcock impresses as gender switched  Buckingham. The international cast also includes Marta Carvalho as Queen Elizabeth, Juliet Prew as Queen Margaret, Mathew Miles as King Edward and Lord Stanley, Julia Rose Lisa as Lady Anne and Lord Grey, Tom Longmire as Clarence, Oliver Broad as Lord Rivers, Nabhan Uddin as Tyrell and Germán Martins as Catesby. The cast is energetic. ensemble is energetic, and in certain scenes, the actors’ eyes roam across the audience — in such an intimate setting, you are unmistakably seen.

This Richard III offers a dystopian lens on a character who continues to fascinate, especially for both historians and theatre guests like myself. 

Strictly limited run from 8-11 July at The Cockpit Theatre. Performances are at 7:30pm with a matinee at 2:30 on Thursday 9th. 

Address:    The Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, London NW8 8EH

Website: https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/richard_III

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cockpittheatre