Welcome to Radar, where we run down the up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s looking-forward event might be the first local show to unite theater buffs with grungy rock hipsters: Richard III, a hybrid theater and rock 'n' roll performance.
Often recognized as Shakespeare’s bloodiest play, the Secret Theatre Company puts a new spin on the old ultraviolence with their production of Richard III. Quick to point out that this hybrid of theater and rock ‘n’ roll is “not to be confused with a rock musical” (we’re not talking Andrew Lloyd Webber here), the performance fuses a live show by local rock band Sobriety with “stylized period design and graphic deaths,” all in a smoky, sinister setting that’s sure to mold the mood for Richard’s epic rise to power. Witness Richard’s evolution from the oily antihero to a prey of gloom, self-doubt and paranoia after his coronation, gained through murder, betrayal and foul play. The ever-popular State Theatre is an ideal venue to host the bevy of bands that open the show with original music and a score of six songs written just for Richard. Aug. 8, Sat., 8 p.m., State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, $20, $15 students, 727-895-3045, statetheatreconcerts.com.—Franki Weddington
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2009.