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A STAGE HISTORY OF THE TRAGEDY OF RICHARD THE THIRD

by Cynthia M. SoRelle, Dramaturg

Although we tend to think of William Shakespeare as the brightest star in the firmament of great writers, his plays have, in fact, been cut, revised, mangled and, during some epochs, completely replaced by other playwrights' versions over the past 400 years. What follows is a chronological stage history of Richard III as produced in England over three centuries. This chronology highlights the actors, producers, designers, and scripts for which we have records--official documents, diaries, playbills, prompt books, etc.

Richard III is a particularly interesting script to study because it was so popular with many of the finest actors of the nineteenth century--particularly as a debut piece for men. As you read, remember that our records for the nineteenth century are far more extensive than those from earlier periods.

Notes on the Composition

date of composition ca. 1592-1593

entered in Stationer's Register 20 October, 1597 by publisher Andrew Wise "good" bad quarto (six editions prior to publication of first folio)

Sources:

Anglica Historia of Polydore Vergil (begun 1534)

Thomas More's History of King Richard III (1513)

Hall, Union of the Houses of Lancaster and York (1548)

Holinshed's Chronicles of England (2nd ed. 1587)

Probable Influences:

Thomas Legge's Ricardus Tertius (Cambridge 1579)

Baldwin, A Mirror for Magistrates (1559)

Anon., The True Tragedy of Richard the Third (ca. 1591)

the Tudor historians

A CHRONOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS

VERSIONS OF RICHARD III

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

no record of performances by Chamberlain's Men (1612 and 1622 editions mention Majesties Men) but probably first performed at "The Theatre" with Burbage as Richard.

first official citation: Office Book of Sir Henry Herbert, Master of Revels, November 16, 1633 at the St. James; audience included Charles I (King's Men).

Quarto 8 (dated 1634): discovery of a cast for the play written on the title page of this quarto listing Sanford as Richard, Mountfort as Richmond, Kynaston as Clarence, Betterton as Edward IV; probably performed between 1685 and 1692.

Thomas Betterton

Caryl's The English Princess, March 1667 at Lincoln's Inn Fields.

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: BEGINNING OF THE CIBBER ERA

Colley Cibber, "The Tragical History of King Richard III (As it is Acted at the Theatre Royal)"; July 1700. This version was performed at Drury Lane for the next 20 years (Act I expunged by Licenser of Plays until ca. 1714).¹

Lacy Ryan at Lincoln's Inn Fields, ca. 1712/1720-26/sporadically to 1740. Ryan was the source for "points" later used by Garrick, Cooke, Kean, Booth.

"From him succeeding Richard's took the cue,

And hence, his style, if not the color, drew." (Foote)

Quin succeeds Cibber as Richard at Drury Lane, 1734.

Cibber bids farewell to Richard, 1739.

David Garrick's London debut as Richard Oct. 19, 1741, Goodman's Fields, sets precedent for using Richard as debut piece. Garrick's success causes Fleetwood and Rich of Drury Lane and Covent Garden to have Henry Giffard's Goodman's Fields Theatre closed under regulations of Licensing Act of 1737, and Garrick is lured to Drury Lane.

Peg Woffington plays Anne.

 

1741-1776: only three seasons both at Drury Lane and Covent Garden without Richard on the boards.

 

Other Richards rivaling Garrick during this period:

Covent Garden: Quin, 1741-1750

Ryan as late as 1754

Spranger Barry, 1757-1758

William Smith, 1761-1773

                                                            Macklin, 1775 (twice)

Drury Lane: (Garrick's substitutes)

Smith, 1774-1775

Thomas Sheridan, 1744-1745 and 1760-1761

Henry Mossop, 1751-1759

Holland, 1760-1769

Garrick's most frequent Queen Elizabeth: Mrs. Pritchard, 1743-1768.

Garrick and Quin alternate as Richard at Covenant Garden, 1746.

Garrick's final performances (3) as Richard in May-June 1776.

Mrs. Siddons as Lady Anne (her first tragic part in London).

Garrick has set costume style for Richard: Elizabethan garb of gown, doublet, hose, black wig. De Loutherberg contributes design for 3 scenes.

John Philip Kemble dominates at Drury Lane (1783-1802) and Covent Garden 1803-1817. "An icicle on the bust of tragedy" (William Hazlitt)

Debut as Richard at Drury Lane, Nov. 6, 1783, and repeats role more than 20 times 1788-1801; approximately 4 times at Covent Garden from 1811-1814. (Between 1783 and 1788, William "Gentleman" Smith portrays Richard--and Kemble awaits his retirement to return Richard to his own repertory.)

Mrs. Siddons plays Elizabeth to her brother's Richard.

Mrs. Ward as Lady Anne.

Kemble at the rebuilt Drury Lane after 1794 takes an interest in historical accuracy: antiquarian settings designed by William Capon include

Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Elizabethan Bridges. (Sets were

destroyed by 1809 fire.)

Kemble alters Cibber's version slightly, publishes text in 1810, 1811, 1814.

NINETEENTH CENTURY

George Frederick Cooke , October 1800 at Covent Garden.

23 performances in one season: the Great War between Cooke and Kemble. When Kemble takes over management of Covent Garden, he defers to Cooke until 1811, when Cooke has departed for America.

1811-1814: John Philip Kemble

Charles Kemble

Charles Mayne Young

Master Betty (William), 1805-1806 (14 yrs. old)

Edmund Kean, February 12, 1814 at Drury Lane.

Instantly leaps to fame, much like Garrick.

Kean portrays Richard every year between 1814 and 1833 except 1826, when on tour.

"Kean is Richard." (Lord Byron)

Watching Kean is like "reading Shakespeare by flashes of lightning." (Coleridge)

"The Wolves" club--an early fan club.

Oct. 1827 - Jan. 1829, Kean at Covent Garden (plays one performance with son Charles as Richmond).

Kean uses Kemble's modified version of Cibber.

Kean largely influences future "business" for Richard (more than 30 "points").

Mrs. Glover as Margaret.

Junius Brutus Booth, London debut as Richard on February 12, 1817.

Brought to Covent Garden as rival for Kean (ended up with contract under Kean at Drury Lane). Junius Brutus was the father of Edwin Booth.

Performs Richard at Drury Lane again in Oct. 1825.

William Charles Macready, Oct. 25, 1818 at Covent Garden.

Successful performance helps to avert theatre's near bankruptcy. March 12, 1821 at Covent Garden: first attempt to change Cibber's script to any degree, although still tentative--restores Clarence's dream and Hastings at Council, one appearance for Margaret--but essentially a failure and is played only 2 nights (again March 19).

Again "Rival Richards": Macready and Kean.

1833-1834: Richard planned and subsequently cancelled 3 times.

April 3, 1837, Macready's farewell to Richard.

1830: J. R. Planché publishes Twelve Designs for the Costume of

Shakespeare's Richard III (not for a specific production, but later used by Charles Kean).

Samuel Phelps (Shakespeare's first true savior)

February 20, 1845 at Sadler's Wells. Phelps discards Cibber's version and attempts to produce Shakespeare's Richard III--ran for either 19, 21, or 24

nights (?); Shakespeare still shortened, but not butchered. Tent scene finally played with both Richard's and Richmond's tents on stage (brook flows downstage from grove of trees to separate). November 23, 1861: Phelps again tackles Richard, but reverts to Cibber's version; repeated January 4 and 18, 1863 (one revival on March 21, 1849); original Margaret Mrs. Warner.

Charles Kean utilizes historical sources and Planché designs for his Richard at the Princess Theatre, February 20, 1854.

Playbill shows cast of 121 persons (58 in Richard's army, 59 monks, etc., carrying torches in funeral procession).

Basically Cibber's version.

First clearly Renaissance designs.

Barry Sullivan at Drury Lane, February 1868, September 1876.

Bateman Sisters: Kate as Richmond, Ellen as Richard, 1877.

Arthur Wing Pinero as Stanley.

Henry Irving as Richard at Lyceum Theatre, January 29, 1877 for three-month run. Fourth attempt to restore Shakespeare finally ousts Cibber (actually Booth in America beat him to it).

Genuine text cut severely, Margaret restored only to Act I, sc. 3.

December 19, 1896 production, Margaret's role expanded and played by Genevieve Ward.

Gordon Craig as Edward IV and Lena Ashwell as Prince Edward.

Revived February 28 - April 7, 1897.

Richard Mansfield at Globe Theatre in London, March 16, 1889.

Portrayed Richard's age range of 19-33 years,

antiquarian scholars W. H. Pollack and J. G. Waller assist.

TWENTIETH CENTURY

F. R. Benson's Company, 1886-1915 at Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace). 

1911 Cooperative Cinematograph Company produces 2-reel film of Benson as Richard.

Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree: 1908, 1909.

John Martin Harvey, 1910 at Lyceum, 1916 at His Majesty's.

Robert Atkins/Ben Greet: 1915, 1920, 1922 seasons at Old Vic.

Baliol Holloway/Edith Evans: 1925, 1927.

Peter Glenville, open-air production at Regent's Park, June 26, 1934.

Emlyn Williams/Jean Cadell, (Tyrone Guthrie production) 1937-38.

John Laurie/B. Iden Payne, 1939 at Stratford.

Lawrence Olivier/John Burrell: 1944, 1949 at Old Vic/film 1955.

1944 - Margaret Sybil Thorndike, Richmond Ralph Richardson

1949 - Lady Anne Vivien Leigh.

Donald Wolfit shortened version at Strand in 1941.

Glen Byam Shaw/Marius Goring in 1953 at Stratford.

Christopher Plummer at Stratford in 1961.

Paul Daneman, 1961-1962 at Old Vic.

Peter Hall's War of the Roses (Three Parts Henry VI and Richard III)

1963 Stratford

1964 Aldwych Theatre

1965 Stratford

Ian Holm and Peggy Ashcroft.

Al Pacino, Fox Searchlight 1996 documentary film "Looking for Richard"

Ian McKellan plays Richard in the 1995 film version directed by Richard Loncraine, with Annette Bening, Kristen Scott Thomas, Robert Downey, Jr., John Wood, Jim Broadbent, Maggie Smith; set in 1930s England

_______________

¹Notes on the Texts of Shakespeare and Colley Cibber:

Shakespeare's Richard III is the second longest of his plays.

Richard is second only to Hamlet in total number of lines (1161).

Shakespeare's play includes in excess of 40 characters.

Eleven ghosts appear to Richard and Richmond.

Colley Cibber's version includes only 20 characters, completely omitting Clarence, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Earl Rivers, the Earl of Surrey, Hastings, Margaret (widow of Henry VI), and Margaret Plantagenet (daughter of Clarence).

The ghosts of Henry, Ann, and the young princes are omitted.

Cibber excised approximately 1,000 lines of the original play, or about one third of the test, making substitutions. Cibber omitted fourteen scenes, leaving a grand total of 3 scenes without Richard, as opposed to Shakespeare's 10.

Compiling a Stage History: The Available Sources

There are approximately 7,000 Web sites relating to Richard III as king and as character. Happy hunting.

Borden, Marshall E. "The Richard the Third of Charles Kean, Edwin Booth and Alan Bates: A Stage Chronology and Collative Analysis of Production, Performance and Text." Unpublished Dissertation. Wayne State University, 1972.

Bridgman, Thomas, adapt. King Richard III. Facsimile of the 1820 edition. London: Cornmarket Press, 1971.

Burnim, Kalman A. David Garrick: Director. Pittsburgh: U. of Pittsburgh Press, 1961.

Cibber, Colley. An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber: Written by Himself. ed. Robert W. Lowe. 2 vols. London, 1889.

Davies, Thomas. Memoirs of the Life of David Garrick. London: Thomas Davies, 1780.

Downer, Alan S. King Richard the Third: Edmund Kean's Performance as Recorded by James H. Hackett. London: The Society for Theatre Research, 1959.

_______. "Nature to Advantage Dressed: Eighteenth Century Acting." PMLA LVIII (1943): 1002-1037.

_______. "Players and the Painted Stage: Nineteenth Century Acting." PMLA LXI (1946): 522-576.

Dunlap, William. The Life of George Fred. Cooke. 2nd ed. 2 vols. London, 1815.

Eisenberg, Esther Lee. "Costumes for Shakespeare's Richard III on the London Stage, 1597-1900." Unpublished Thesis. University of Texas, 1969.

Hazlitt, William. Hazlitt on Theatre. ed. William Archer and Robert Lowe. New York: Hill and Wang, 1958. [orig. 1895]

Lloyd, William Watkins. Critical Essays on the Plays of Shakespeare. London: George Bell and Sons, 1889.

Richard, Duke of York. Facsimile of the 1819 edition. London: Cornmarket Press, 1971.

Richard the Third and the Primrose Criticism. Chicago. A. C. McClurg, 1882.

Rosenfeld, Sybil. "Scene Designs of William Capon." Theatre Notebook X (summer, 1956): 118-122.

Shakespeare, William. Richard the Third. ed. John Dover Wilson. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1961.

_______. Richard the Third. in The Riverside Shakespeare. ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972.

Smidt, Kristian. The Tragedy of King Richard the Third: Parallel Texts of the First Quarto and the First Folio with Variants of the Early Quartos. New York: Humanities Press, 1969.

Smith, J. H. and Carson, W. G. B. "Genest's Additions and Corrections to The English Stage." Theatre Notebook IV (January, 1950): 30.

Sprague, Arthur Colby. "A New Scene in Colley Cibber's Richard III." MLN XLII (1927): 29-32.

Southern, Richard. "Hogarth: Prints of Scenes." Theatre Notebook VIII (Oct.-Dec., 1953): 19.

Winter, William. Shakespeare on the Stage. vol. 1. New York: Moffat, Yard, and Company, 1911.

Wood, Alice I. Perry. The Stage History of Shakespeare's King Richard the Third. New York: Columbia UP, 1909.

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