Richard III

Theatre

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An Eerie Bird of Midnight -- Ugly, Greedy, and Tyrannical
A Narcissitic, Distorted, Dark and Evil Version of Peter Pan

At the age of 33, Thomas Jolly, a playwirght/director/actor of all-round talent, won the Molière Award for the Best Director, the highest honor in the French theater that has been awarded to theater master Peter Brook and legendary director Patrice Chéreau. In the 2014 Festival d'Avignon, Jolly's avant-garde and wild production of the 18-hour marathon performance of Henry VIimpressed the international theatrical community and won him the Molière Award.

In 2015, Jolly once again challenged Shakespeare’s hitorical drama Richard III and won an overwhelming applause. Dressed in the flamboyant costumes made of feathers, Jolly plays the role of Richard III, who is obssessed with ambition and desire for power. Like an eerie bird in the midnight, he ingenuously interprets the dark, evil and distorted character with low self-esteem, making the renowned wicked character in Shakespeare’s plays an bizzare clown full of tragic yet emotional power. Stunning and spectacular stage and visual design portray the process of Richard III ascending to the throne as if it were a farewell concert of a rock-n-roll star -- dazzling, eye-catching, yet with a bit grief.

Director&Actor │ Thomas Jolly

Thomas Jolly is an all-round rising star in the French theater, who is highly-expected by the international theatrical community. He founded La Piccola Familia in 2006 and then won the Audience Award at Festival Impatience (Théâtre de l'Odéon). Since 2016, Thomas Jolly has been an associate artist of the National Theater of Strasbourg and been invited to perform at the Festival d'Avignon in several occasions. With works drawing attentions worldwide, he is currently working on his latest play, planned to be created in 2018.

PRODUCTION TEAM

  • Production/ La Piccola Familia
  • Executive Production/ Théâtre National de Bretagne,Rennes
  • Coproduction/ Odéon - Théâtre National de l’Europe
  • Director,Actor&Stage Designer / Thomas Jolly
  • French Translation/ Jean Michel Déprats
  • Artistical Advisors/ Pier Lamandé, Julie Lerat-Gersant
  • Lightning/ François Maillot,Antoine Travert, Thomas Jolly
  • Original Music&Sound Creation/ Clément Mirguet
  • Costumes/ Sylvette Dequest assisted by Fabienne Rivier
  • Richard Gloucester’s animal adornment/ Sylvain Wavrant
  • Props/ Christèle Lefèbvre With Damien Avice, Mohand Azzoug, Etienne Baret, Bruno Bayeux, Nathan Bernat, Alexandre Dain, Flora Diguet, Anne Dupuis, Émeline Frémont, Damien Gabriac, Thomas Germaine, Thomas Jolly, François-Xavier Phan, Charline Porrone
  • Duration: approx.270 minutes with 30 minutes intermission.
  • Performed in French with Chinese surtitles.
  • This production contains adult subject matter, special effects of smoke, flash and blood scenes. Audience discretion is advied.
  • Pre-talk: 30 minutes before every performance at the lobby of National Theater.
  • Post-talk: 4/15(Sun.)at the lobby of National Theater.
  • WEBSITE: www.lapiccolafamilia.fr