Review: Ann Noble Electrifyingly Reshapes Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’ at A Noise Within

A Noise Within’s Richard III, running through only Sunday, March 8th, redefines one of Shakespeare’s most cunning villains. Anchored by a staggering performance from Ann Noble that challenges any lingering assumptions about the gender that can inhabit this role, the production arrives as one of the most galvanizing acting showcases of the season, a feat that places Noble firmly alongside Jefferson Mays’ mesmerizing Salieri in Amadeus just a few miles away at Pasadena Playhouse.

Directed with circumspect clarity by Guillermo Cienfuegos, this 1970s-based staging refuses to treat Shakespeare’s history play as a dusty relic. Instead, it unfolds as a taut political thriller in which manipulation, ambition, and spectacle collide. Noble’s Richard, clad in a formfitting grey suit, is neither imitation nor novelty casting. From the opening moments, she dismantles expectations with a coolly sly, conspiratorial energy that draws the audience into complicity with a transfixing bravura. Her command of language is razor-sharp, but what lingers most is the unsettling intimacy she creates — a Richard who seems to whisper directly into your ear even from across the theater. Indeed, this is all the more entertainingly unnerving as this Richard, flanked by his entourage, minces no words or actions when it comes to eliminating his own brothers (Duke of Clarence and King Edward IV) or, for that matter, relatives (nephews) en route to becoming king.

Cienfuegos’ direction leans into forward momentum. Scenes rarely linger longer than necessary, giving the production a relentless propulsion that mirrors Richard’s own ruthless ascent. The result is a production that feels cohesive rather than decorative. The industrial-like visual world, shaped by Angela Balogh Calin’s punk-rock-inspired scenic design and Ken Booth’s moody lighting, conjures an atmosphere that feels both timeless and ominously contemporary.

Nick Santiago’s projections appear on the set and stage floor, though they especially leave a lasting impact with the nightmarish procession of faces, the same ones Richard has ruthlessly laid to rest, and which plague him on the eve of battle with Henry, Earl of Richmond. Christine Cover Ferro’s costumes blend regal austerity with modern textiles, allowing the characters to exist somewhere between period drama and present-day. Chris Moscatiello’s pulsating and pounding sound design — augmented by the stomping of steel chairs — augurs the horrors to come. Jonathan Rider’s gripping fight choreography is notably spotlighted in a knife duel where the stakes, and the final impression to be imprinted, are at their highest.

Noble’s interpretation is something to behold. Rather than leaning solely on physical transformation, she crafts a portrait defined by intellect and emotional volatility. Moments of humor land with surgical precision, only to give way to flashes of sociopathy that arrive without warning. The performance builds in layers, revealing a character who thrives on the insatiable pursuit of power accompanied by paranoia and, invariably, hand-soaked bloodshed.

Around her, the versatile cast members, usually portraying more than one part, prove equally formidable. The remarkably consistent Lynn Robert Berg brings a calculating reassurance to Buckingham, transforming what can sometimes be a secondary figure into a quietly pivotal presence that demands attention up until his solemn end. Erika Soto’s Lady Anne provides one of the evening’s first riveting exchange, meeting Richard’s machinations with a vulnerability that directly plays into the hands of the disarming despot.

Veralyn Jones induces goosebumps when her wheelchair-bound Duchess of York musters might in the wake and weight of her grief to give Noble’s Richard a piece of her mind. Trisha Miller’s Queen Margaret cuts through the proceedings with a necessarily loud and fervid wisdom at the epicenter of the storm. Lesley Fera is an absolute tour de force as Queen Elizabeth, who is generally characterized by an inconsolable grief smeared on her face, which strikingly resonates, particularly during an Act II scene when Richard attempts to snake his way into marrying Elizabeth’s daughter who is also his niece.

Furthermore, Neill Fleming, as King Edward IV, delivers quite the gut-punching monologue when realizing his brother George, the Duke of Clarence, has been needlessly executed before a pardon could undo it. Randolph Thompson’s Clarence appeals to foremost reason — a credit to how convincing Thompson is — when trying to dissuade two trenchcoat-dressed hitmen from killing him. To wit, Alex Neher and Wes Guimarães thrive as the funny conscience-affected murderers; Neher also depicts Rivers and Guimarães is additionally the bellowing beacon of change in the Earl of Richmond. Tony Pasqualini’s Stanley navigates the shifting alliances with understated tension. Samuel Garnett makes for a strong but suddenly overwhelmed Hastings whose time as a member of the court is short-lived. Last, but not least, young actors Micah Lanfer (Prince Edward) and Brendan Burgos (Young York), who also solos artfully on a guitar, prove to be precociously talented.

Cienfuegos ensures that the broader themes never become overshadowed by individual arcs. The production examines how rhetoric shapes perception, how charisma masks ambition, and how public spectacle can blur the line between hero and tyrant. In that sense, the staging feels perspicaciously current without resorting to heavy-handed commentary.

And through it all, the 17 actors move as a unified organism, supporting Noble’s central performance, which is the furthest from a mere curiosity, without fading into anonymity. It’s a testament to A Noise Within’s longstanding commitment to classical work that the production feels both intellectually rigorous and emotionally accessible.

By the final moments, the virtuoso Noble ensures that her Richard repels the very same audience her character so doggedly courted with ingratiating inflections and well-received non-verbal expressions. The crown isn’t worn for long and the culmination enthrallingly summons. The closing scenes land with a quiet devastation that underscores the cost of unchecked corruption, leaving a lingering sense of unease rather than solely resolve.

In the crimson aftermath it quickly dawns on the observer: A Noise Within’s Richard III invariably stands as a triumph of ensemble storytelling and fearless interpretation. It honors Shakespeare’s language while embracing a fresh perspective that never feels forced. Most of all, it showcases an actor at the peak of her powers. Ann Noble doesn’t just play Richard but, rather, she recaptures him, delivering a performance that will be remembered as one of the year’s defining achievements.

Cover image caption: Ann Noble in A Noise Within’s production of Richard III in Pasadena, CA. Photo is courtesy of Craig Schwartz.

A Noise Within’s production of Richard III by William Shakespeare runs through only Sunday, March 8th. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit anoisewithin.org.