Shakespeare comes to life

Over the years, William Shakespeare has developed a reputation for having written great plays no one understands. Everyone probably remembers a time in some English class where they were assigned to read a Shakespeare play and, as they read, they realized none of it makes any sense whatsoever.\n"Richard III," at first glance, seems the same way. Suddenly, in great Shakespearean style, the audience is thrust into the action with little or no idea who anyone is or what is happening. The first few minutes of "Richard III" caused a lot of confusion, especially because the program did not, unfortunately, contain a plot synopsis. \nBloomington audiences got the opportunity to be transported into the confusing yet intriguing world of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Wednesday when they experienced Shakespeare's "Richard III" as performed by The Acting Company.\nThough it was very confusing in the beginning, after the first few scenes the plot began to come together. The plot of "Richard III" revolves around Richard desiring to become the king of England. The play is full of murder, deception and intrigue. There are some gruesome scenes involving dead bodies and decapitated heads, and there's even some exciting sword fighting toward the end of the play. \nDespite the action, there are also many long lines of speaking as well as numerous soliloquies. In many theatrical productions, excessive dialogue detracts from the overall experience of the production. However, Shakespeare's incredible talent for the written and spoken word allows much of the action of the play to take place through the dialogue of the characters. Granted, trying to decipher exactly what the characters are saying can be difficult, considering "Richard III" was first performed in around 1590. However, the meaning sometimes takes a backseat to the sheer beauty and rhythm of the words, which are poetic and incredibly well-written. It is sometimes intoxicating to listen to a soliloquy because the rhythm and inflection are so soothing.\nThe successful performance of a play relies heavily on the talent of the actors. The Acting Company did an incredible job of bringing the story of Richard III to life. Especially impressive was Spencer Aste, who portrayed the title character of Richard. From his unusual gait and posture to his impeccable delivery of witty lines, Aste captured the essence of Richard perfectly. He created a persona for his character that was completely believable and has mastered the art of making an audience feel as though they are part of the action as well.\nAnother fresh element of the play was the lack of complex sets. In fact, the only set pieces were a few vertical stacks of lights and some chairs. The simplicity of sets allowed the actors to shine. It was a welcome change from many theater productions in which elaborate sets and backgrounds detract from the performance by drawing attention to the background and covering up the actors that are supposed to be in the foreground. \nThough the three-hour tragedy was, at times, tedious to sit through and a bit hard to follow, it was a marvelous opportunity to have a high-caliber troupe like The Acting Company perform a play that still has such relevance today. It is incredible to be watching a 410-year-old play that can still entertain today's audiences.