Press Reports: David Tennant Stars As Richard II For The RSC



As there are so many press reports flying about following the announcement of the Royal Shakespeare Company's winter 2013 season by Artistic Director Gregory Doran today, we've gathered a number of them together into a single handy post for you.


  • The Guardian call Richard II and the adaptations of Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell novels their highlights of the season:
          David Tennant leads new RSC season as Richard II


  • BBC News report that Doran believes that David Tennant will find the role of Richard more of a challenge than Hamlet. "Richard II can seem like a paean of self-pity," he said. "I think David will find it quite hard that, for a lot of the play, the audience don't like this self-indulgent, self-obsessed creature that Richard seems to be."

  • The Telegraph say that Doran's inaugural programme as artistic director bodes very well:

  • They also quote Doran:  "I am delighted that David Tennant and Oliver Ford Davies will be returning   to the company for this production. As we continue our journey to find a home for our work in London, it’s great to work with the Barbican again and it’s a fantastic space in which to present this particular production."

  • The Stage talk about the RSC's return to the Barbican after more than ten years and Doran's ambitious five-year plan to produce all of Shakespeare's plays in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre

  • London Evening Standard quote Gregory Doran: “I want us to produce the best possible live experience of Shakespeare for audiences of all ages and backgrounds and provide the most stimulating environment possible for creative artists to practise their craft.”

  • The Stratford Observer celebrate David returning to the town
          David Tennant returns to RSC in Stratford


  • The Independent: Doran says the part will challenge David. “Of course Hamlet was a challenge, it’s the Everest. Richard II is written entirely in verse. He has no problem with verse. He breathes it; he makes it sound as if it is completely effortless.” The principal challenge will be “the sense of the man’s volatility, fragility; that psychology is more alien to David’s character”.



Richard II runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from the 10th October - 16th November 2013. It then transfers to the Barbican Theatre in London where it will run from 7th December 2013 to 25th January 2014.

Visit our Richard II section for booking details, photos and interview clips.



Comments