There are those who claim Richard III is a much maligned monarch and that Shakespeare is responsible for creating the crook-backed, demi-monster that has embedded itself in our psyche. This image has made the king a thing of speculation and fascination, a situation that shows no sign of abating due to the recent discovery of his remains unceremoniously dumped in a car park in Leicester – although in fairness, it must be said, it probably wasn’t a car park at the time.
Now, it is accepted in some quarters that during his short, two-and-a-half year reign, he was not as bad a king as Shakespeare would have us believe but Richard Derrington in his show My Kingdom for a Horse keeps the speculative pot boiling and tries to convince us that the last of the Plantagenets was, in addition to all else, a pretty dastardly father.
Mr Derrington has discovered a fascinating story, the facts of which he has spun into a complex and intriguing web of mystery and hypothesis and come up with a piece of totally engaging theatre as riveting as any Agatha Christie who-dunnit. It demonstrates the requirements for good theatre are very simple and can be achieved very simply – a good, well written story, well-acted and well presented. Simple.
Richard Derrington’s tale begins with the discovery of a chap called Dickon Broom who died in poverty and obscurity in Eastwell in Kent in 1550. It is recorded that a lad of about sixteen visited Richard III on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Through his researches Mr Derrington has come up with a hypothesis that Dickon might well have been Richard’s eldest legitimate son and therefore the rightful heir to the throne. The French for broom, the plant, is genêt. Plant à genêt – geddit?
As we all know, the succession struggles for the English throne throughout history make the current bout of Westminster backstabbing farces look like the proverbial vicarage tea party. In those days back-stabbing really was back-stabbing.
So, we are taken through the life and times of King Richard from about 1470 as seen through the eyes of his runty first born who was all but ignored, disowned and pushed into the corner. We hear about the death of the two young princes in the Tower to which poor Dickon was an unwitting accomplice. We hear that his father’s last words to him, before being chopped down in a muddy Midlands field, was to run and hide and tell no-one who he really was.
We all love a conspiracy theory and Richard Derrington’s one-man-show is fascinating stuff, beautifully written and impeccably presented. It is no mean feat to hold a stage single-handedly for ninety minutes, especially with a story that, on the face of it, might not be deemed as being very sexy. But in My Kingdom for a Horse there is never a dull moment as we are swept through the, albeit imaginary, pages of some of England’s bloodiest history. Mr Derrington depicts not only the sad Dickon who yearns for his rightful place on the throne from his hovel deep in the forest, but also some of the characters he meets along the way. This is a magnificent performance from a former RSC actor/writer who has already made a considerable name for himself presenting numerous one-man-shows. Loved every minute of it. ★★★★★ Michael Hasted 15th July 2016
