Noise Within’s ‘Richard III’ Boasts a Villain to Watch

Talk about enjoying your work. In his gleefully nasty portrayal of the eponymous villain in Shakespeare’s “King Richard III” at A Noise Within, company stalwart Geoff Elliott makes it clear that this is one Richard who gets a huge charge out of his own misdeeds.

Whether murdering his brother Clarence (an effectively hapless John Billingsley) or colluding with Buckingham (a wonderfully wicked Robertson Dean), Elliott’s Richard exudes a boyish naughtiness as he giddily tries the limits of his power. But Richard ultimately learns that mayhem as a constant diet sickens, even unto death.

Abetted by a superior cast, director Michael Winters charts Richard’s downward progression with only a few missteps, the most obvious being Jeff Fairbanks’ occasionally obtrusive sound design and a hallucinogenic nightmare sequence that seems anachronistic amid the otherwise effective staging. Thomas Budderwitz’s set, swathed in red draperies, provides an appropriately backdrop for the drama’s bloody happenings. Angela Balogh Calin’s authentic costumes richly evoke the period. Kenneth R. Merckx Jr. choreographs some of the most thrilling fight sequences this side of the Universal back lot.

Elliott and Winters find new levels of irony--and pathos--in Shakespeare’s twisted protagonist. Their vibrant collaboration makes this “Richard” an event.

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* “King Richard III,” A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Oct. 15 and 16, Nov. 7, 8 and 15, 8 p.m.; Oct. 12, Nov. 2, 8 and 16, 2 p.m.; Oct. 12, Nov. 2 and 16, 7 p.m. Ends Nov. 16. $22-$27. (818) 546-1924. Running time: 3 hours.