ok we've all seen david tennant as richard ii in THAT iconic scene but the entire play was an absolute joy to watch (a thread)

i've neither seen nor watched richard ii before. admittedly i watched it for david tennant, but the entire performance was spectacular. wow. i actually found myself reading the play while i was watching, just to better appreciate the dialogue.

the emotional depth of theatre blows me away every time. i can only imagine what it would have been like to have actually watched it at RSC!

(SPOILER?) i've read many shakespeare plays, but not richard ii. it's a tragedy. he's gonna die at some point. that's how shakespeare works. AND YET somehow i didn't see this coming. it was devastating. damn it david!!!!

(i should have probably organized my thoughts before i started this.) the scene where richard is separated from his wife is deeply moving. i think for most of it you don't really see them interact as husband and wife. the only time you see it is when it's time for them to part.

david brings such life to shakespeare's text, which is already challenging enough to read on its own. imagine memorizing all that and then delivering one riveting speech after another. i became a fan after good omens but now i have so much respect for him as an actor

costume design was amazing. just looking at these, you can see richard is slowly being divested of his throne and title. !!!!!

the kiss that made me watch this play was not the best thing about this scene. how they moved, how they looked at each other, how they BREATHED. the gay longing was so real.

watch it here! it's 2.5 hrs long but every second will be worth it i promise https://www.marquee.tv/watch/royalshakespearecompany-richardii