Two families vying for control. A foul murder. Discontent among the ranks. Everybody wants the boss's head.The next "Goodfellas?" Nah...it's Richard II, Shakespeare's first installment on the rise and fall of the House of Bolingbroke. In the L.A. based Knightsbridge Theatre's first Shakespearean production in 2000, director Christian Noble (Henry IV, Anne of The Thousand Days), takes the Bard's first historical drama and places it in a modern era of gangsters. "This is a play," he said, " where, whether it's tights or a suit, the attitude of the characters is the same -- tell the boss you love him while practicing your knife stroke."
Richard II opens Jan. 22, 2000 at the Knightsbridge, 35 S. Raymond Place, in Old Town Pasadena, and runs through Feb. 27. For tickets and information call (626) 440-0821.
-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent
