Zachary C. Clark as Richard.
Photo by Mercedes Wilby.
WELCOME TO KING EDWARD IV'S LAST PARTY!
Three months ago, Henry VI was murdered. The new king, Edward—dangerously suggestible, self-destructively decadent, and irrevocably shattered by the recent civil war—is still trying to drink his way out of depression. And, in the shadows, his youngest brother is counting down the minutes until the sun finally sets on the endless party.
Come meet Richard: Shakespeare's first great villain. He wants the crown. He knows exactly how many people are in his way. And he’s already looking forward to killing them all. Henry VI was just the warmup.
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(It may have crossed your mind that this is not ideal king material. That's occurred to other people too. Feel free to discuss it with their severed heads.)
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The party is almost over. Time to come to the dark side.
a show for everyone
When other people set out to bring Shakespeare to life for a broad audience, they sometimes lean towards modernizations and reconceptualizations. We applaud their creativity...but it's not our style. So, we’ve gone all the way in the other direction. We believe that these plays are already fully alive, and that focusing on Shakespeare's original intentions is the most effective way to enable them to feel fresh and vivid: the trick is to trust the text, understand the characters, and avoid adding anything that will get in the way. This is theater made by obsessive Shakespeare devotees…and intended for everyone.
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And we’re definitely doing something right! Our recent productions of the notoriously difficult Henry VI plays were not only critically acclaimed, but also praised and enjoyed by everyone from Shakespeare experts to first-time theatergoers. Our audiences laughed, gasped, cried—and, to our absolute delight, consistently marveled over how easy the story was to follow, how completely they understood every nuance of the characters’ intentions, and, of course, how talented our cast members are.
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So, join us for the epic conclusion of Shakespeare’s first historical saga! We’re thrilled to welcome back many of our core cast members—including Charlotte Blacklock, whose spectacular portrayal of Queen Margaret started all the way back in Henry VI, Part 1, and Zachary C. Clark, who was unanimously adored as Richard in Part 3. We’ll have our usual medieval costumes, live sword fighting, clear storytelling, and dark sense of humor.
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And yes, there will (once again) be a severed head.
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If you've been with us since the beginning: thank you—and we hope you're ready to meet the next generation of York, Warwick, Buckingham, and Somerset’s families! (You’ll never guess who’s going to make it out alive…)
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If you’re new: we look forward to introducing you to our signature approach! You don’t need to have seen the prequels—or, for that matter, any other Shakespeare plays—and you certainly don’t need to do any research ahead of time. (This is a theatrical experience, not a history lesson.)
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Either way: forget whatever you think you know about Richard III. We promise you’ve never seen it like this before. ​
The Henry VI plays are rarely performed. They have enormous casts that are impractical for most theater companies, and meandering narratives that are likely to perplex modern audience members who are not already well-versed in the relevant history. As a result, generations of theatergoers have missed out on some of Shakespeare’s funniest scenes, most vibrant characters, most beautiful language, and most heartbreaking plot twists—not to mention, onstage demon-summoning ceremonies and murderous pirates!
We are proud to provide New York’s theater community with a rare opportunity to finally experience these extraordinary plays. To make that possible, we have heavily abridged and streamlined them, distilling the sprawling originals into an intimate, urgently-paced, character-driven political thriller. We are, to put it mildly, staunch Shakespeare devotees, and we believe in remaining faithful to his text and intentions; this is not a watered-down version or a gimmicky modernization. Instead, we have carefully crafted a unique, unforgettable theatrical event: a gripping, poignant, wickedly funny saga of power, passion, and betrayal, featuring 16 expert performers, exhilarating sword fights, spectacular medieval costumes, and much more.
With only 7 performances, tickets are in limited supply. Don’t miss out on the chance to join the adventure; get yours today!
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We plan to present the rest of the Henry VI trilogy in our next season.
THE SAGA IS ENDING
After a whirlwind run of the seldom-performed Henry VI plays, we’re looking forward to finishing Shakespeare’s first tetralogy with Richard III: the last, and most famous, installment.
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We’ve chronicled battles, witchcraft, murders, revenge, and betrayals both personal and political. We’ve introduced three generations of royalty, traveled all over England and France, and proudly presented two severed heads. It has been our privilege and our pleasure to provide you, our beloved audience members, with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fully experience Shakespeare’s epic journey through the Wars of the Roses.
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And now, we can’t wait to show you how the story ends.