Arts & Entertainment
“Swords our Law,” A New Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III by The Curtain
“If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell.” – Richard III
Jersey City can now witness the bloody tale of England with The Curtain’s new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III, directed by Sean Hagerty. Instead of following a pious main character such as Romeo or Juliet, we instead follow a charming but plotting anti-hero: Richard III. Set in the Late Middle Ages, before the Tudor family was created and rose to the throne, we witness the brutal story of Richard III and his whole family line, all vanquished in a final battle of Bosworth Field. This tragedy has captivated the audiences of Hudson County, and it is no surprise why.
Right off the bat the audience can already feel the sinister but jocular character of Richard III. His starting line “What?” with a sarcastic tone makes the whole crowd laugh, because of how innocent he portrays himself after he had just taken his sword out of the slain body of Henry VI. We start off with the death of the Lancaster family and the prosperity of the House of York, now taking the throne in a ceremonious manner. A pompous swell of joy fills the whole room, with everyone enjoying the fruits of the moment, all but one black sheep. Richard III, in his ever so plotting mood and manner, has a feisty and overt flame in his eye, portrayed beautifully by Andrew Sellon. He had a hunger from the moment he saw the coronation of King Edward IV, his brother, even though he was the one who won the kingship for the House of York. With King Edward IV to the throne and 2 princes following his legacy, how would Richard III ever get a taste of the crown?
From this moment on, only trouble entails. Richard III does everything in his power, sending out his lords and his mercenaries to spur up a divide in the blossoming Kingdom of York, to ensure the crown is his. As the wife of King Edward IV Queen Elizabeth Woodville, played by Christianna Nelson, says, “I fear our happiness is at its height.” And it truly is. The stage quickly becomes a slaughterhouse, with every close king and unlikely lords getting murdered one by one. What is so enticing about the performance of every one of these killings is the way Richard III maintains his aplomb character. He woos every part of the house under his wing, seeing every murder as an opportunity, manipulating the story towards his light. We see this through the way he romances Anne Neville, played by Lauren Jeanne Thomans, the sobbing widowed queen of King Henry VI, the one that he had slain in the first battle scene! Even by admitting himself as the one who killed her husband, he was still able to make Anne Neville his wife, and disposing of her when he found her a petulance. “It’s humorous, until it’s really not,” Bridget Sorensen, one audience member, chuckled. “It takes you on a ride, and the shock moments were so well executed that you could feel the emotion throughout the audience.” The way Richard III is able to pull off all of this trickery is intriguing, and his rise to the throne is portrayed as one of the most drama-filled ascensions in the history of England.
Perhaps what the audience enjoyed most was the cast. Each actor, 18 in total, executed the riveting task of maintaining their historic poise while also expressing the burdensome sorrows of death and treachery enacted by Richard III. The cast members made it seem as if they were getting slapped, choked, or impaled during the brutal fighting scenes. Andrew Sellon, who played Richard III, perfectly captured the limping feature of the unapologetic character, further entrenching the borderline feelings of the audience as to whether to sympathise with him or not. Grace Graner, a Jersey City resident from Utah, was pleasantly shocked after watching the first half of the performance. “It’s just a whole rollercoaster of emotions. I’m laughing and then suddenly something terrible happens and I shouldn’t be. As an actor herself, she appreciates the amount of dedication each cast member had. “The cast was so impressive,” Garner said. “Having to battle with swords in that heavy costume and still act so effortlessly, that’s just amazing.”
Richard III, played by Andrew Sellon, during the battle of Bosworth Field. 
Prince Edward (left), played by Malin Glade, meeting with his uncle Richard III (right). 
Queen Elizabeth, played by Christianna Nelson, yelling at Richard III. 
Buckingham (center), played by Brandon Jones, bantering with Catesby (left), played by Yair Ben-Dor.
The Curtain’s adaptation of Richard III is uniquely captivating because of the way they make the play accessible to modern audiences. Sean Hagerty, the director for this adaptation of Richard III, chose the play specifically because of how visceral the emotions and themes were “These words were written a hundred of years ago, but a lot of things in the play seem like they could be said by people today, in this type of administration,” Hagerty explained. “Shakespeare focused on themes such as power, corruption, and tyrants, themes that are constantly recurring. It’s also an incredibly funny play. Richard III is such a charming character, which is counterintuitive to his gruesome actions.” The Curtain specializes in making classical theatre accessible to modern day audiences, revitalizing the past and making it relevant today. “Even if you weren’t well versed in Shakespeare, you can still understand it,” Grace Garner, an audience member, said.
Despite this, Hagerty’s adaptation still retains that Shakespearean affinity. “I wanted it to have a sense of Elizabethan playhouse, that it would be performed at that time instead of in a modern setting,” Hagerty described. From the Elizabethan clothing to the royal demeanour, accents, the audience is immersed into the life of a noble, witnessing this history as if turning on the news today. The modernity is seen through the set, a criss cross shaped platform that is skewed away from the audience. “I liked the idea of these platforms and all of them leading up to the throne, which is also a chopping block,” Hagerty said. “I wanted it to be a bit off-center, that nothing is quite right.”
To enhance the legacy of the play, Hagerty and The Curtain team are hosting free Sunday panels after each Sunday performance to discuss the overlaps between Richard III and the current world today. “We wanted to do more than present a topical play,” Hagerty remarked. On March 15th, they invited Women’s March to speak on the civic parallels, and they will have Jersey City mayor James Solomon, NJ State Assemblywoman Katie Brennan, and NJ State Senator Raj Mukherji to speak in upcoming Sunday panels.
Founded in 2018, The Curtain is a theatre company in Jersey City that specializes in Shakespeare and classical theatre. Their mission is focused on creating accessible adaptations and productions for today’s audience and making world class theatre affordable for those who want to watch theatre without having to go to Manhattan. The Curtain started out as a moving production, performing at non-traditional spaces such as Grace Van Vorst Church in Jersey City. Today, they are partnering with Nimbus Dance, a dance studio and performance space located in Downtown Jersey City.
Richard III is up until March 29th. Ticket prices range from $40-55.