New musical on Richard the Third makes history

THE Haunting of Richard the Third which was premiered last year at the Frome Festival by a local group Kairos Theatre Company, is now being revived for a tour which takes in two important places in the life of the controversial monarch – Richard’s place of birth and where he lost his final battle with Henry Tudor.

The script by Frome’s Martin Dimery, begins at Bosworth Field on the eve of Richard’s final battle where, legend has it, he is haunted by ghosts from the past. Led by the spectre of his old adversary Henry the Sixth, Richard re-enacts key moments in his life and reign. While referencing Shakespeare’s tragedy, here we see a Richard who is a victim of circumstance, torn by conscience and dedicated to his wife Anne and their ill-fated son, Edward.

The musical score by David Hynds and Martin Dimery conveys the triumphs and the tragedy of Richard’s story with lilting ballads and rousing marches. The company comprises 12 widely experienced performers, playing a multitude of parts in this epic story. The musical director and accompanist is Helen Turner, once of Paul Weller’s Style Council and veteran of the legendary Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium.

After the first highly praised performances in the Frome Festival 2022, the production has been revised and adapted for a tour which begins at Frome’s Merlin Theatre on the 30th June. It then heads to the Oundle Fringe Festival in Northamptonshire on Sunday July 2nd, to be performed in the magnificent setting of All Saints Church, Fotheringhay, next to the graves of Richard’s mother and father. Richard was born at the now demolished Fotheringhay Castle, also famous as the execution place of Mary Queen of Scots.

The company will then perform for two nights at the stunning Old Theatre Royal in Bath on July 5th and 6th. Opened in the 1750s and managed by the legendary actress, Sarah Siddons, the original Theatre Royal in Old Orchard Street is now a Masonic lodge and remains a regular venue for performances and concerts.

The tour ends fittingly on Saturday the 8th July in the Market Bosworth Festival, close by Bosworth Field, the site of Richard’s final battle in 1485.

Martin Dimery, who also directs the play, describes the show as, “- romantic, tragic and, sometimes very funny. The company is enormously excited to be taking The Haunting of Richard the Third to Richard’s place of birth and where he lost his final battle with Henry Tudor. The atmosphere promises to be electric.”

Pictured: The Haunting of Richard the Third in action. Photo by Tori Allison.