‘I am the first person who owns the body portraying the man. It’s hugely exciting for me.’
I’ll read or listen to almost anything about Richard III, and chanced upon this today. I’ve not seen the programme, but some of you will recognise Mat Fraser from American Horror Story: Freak Show. For those of you who don’t know him, he describes himself as a ‘thalidomider’. He’ll soon be playing Richard in Hull …
This radio interview with Mat was frank, and often amusing, and I’d absolutely love to get over to Hull to see him play this. I wonder how his performance might challenge my views on Richard, and as he says himself, some of the lines he has to deliver in role will have a unique punch to them …
It seems we’ve come a long way since the days of actors blacking up to play Othello (like Anthony Hopkins famously did for the BBC in 1981).
Good luck, Mat!
The Boar's Head, Eastcheap 