Propeller production of Richard III & The Comedy of Errors

King’s Theatre hosts first-ever performance in Edinburgh from group

In the last year, Edward Hall has been praised for resuscitating the fortunes of London’s Hampstead Theatre, but it was with the innovative, all-male Shakespeare company Propeller that his reputation as a director of note first emerged. The group has received critical acclaim and numerous awards since its first production, Henry V, 13 years ago, but its current touring double bill of Richard III and The Comedy of Errors will feature its first-ever performance in Edinburgh.

To date, Propeller’s very physical and musical approach to Shakespeare has provoked positive reactions around the world. Hall says: ‘There’s such a wonderful exuberance about Shakespeare’s plays, which I think we managed to unleash very early on. Audiences around the world instantly responded to that. We’ve played in Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Italy, Spain and the response has been very similar, in Asia and Europe.’

This lively atmosphere continues in Richard III, reimagined as a gory Gothic horror, and The Comedy of Errors, set in a cheap package-holiday resort. The two shows have already received rave reviews and Hall hopes to eventually pair Richard III with Rose Rage, Propeller’s award-winning adaptation of the Henry VI trilogy. For now, he’s thriving off the energy of the current tour: ‘There’s so much live music and physical action in both these plays. They’re very different from as anything you might expect of Shakespeare and I’d encourage people who think that they don’t like Shakespeare, or anyone who has a child they want to introduce to theatre, to come and see them.’

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 22–Sat 26 Feb