But, on the second night of the show's run, my companion and I had to survive until the first intermission to discover the gems in this tale of the fall of the arrogant, capricious King Richard.
Unfortunately, director Stephanie Shine and her cast galloped madly through the first part of the play. Which did nothing but confuse the script's problematic beginning, jam-packed as it is with the intricate conflicts and shifting political allegiances leading to Richard's demise.
Shine did her best to help the audience keep the players and issues straight. The actors all came on stage at the outset of the show and scrawled their characters' names - many of the actors play multiple roles - in chalk on the plain, black pillars and walls of the stage.
Even with this device, the early excessive speed made it initially difficult to follow the characters and their motivations. As a result, a few audience members left during the first break.
But you should have stayed awhile, gentle friends, and you would have been justly rewarded. Once the cast settled down so they could take their time when needed, the subtleties of the story emerged, and several of the characters sprang into rich life.
Peter Cook's Richard was one such character. When the obnoxiously autocratic king gave way to the Richard whose kingdom was slipping through his fingers, Cook's performance leaped from light to riveting. Miserable over the enforced change in his fate, Richard reluctantly gives up his power, alternating between depression and arrogance as he refuses to go quietly into that good night.
That we can feel pity for Richard, who starts out as a pretty despicable sort, and see him as a tragic figure by the end of the play is a testament to the power of Seattle Shakespeare's production.
Another telling moment is the agonized final parting of Richard and his wife, Queen Isabel, played by Stephanie Shine. While the play shows us little of their relationship until that point, and Richard doesn't seem to be a man to readily inspire adoration, the love between the two is palpable, and their separation is heart-rending.
There is also a surprisingly funny, almost-slapstick scene in which Jim Dean as the Duke of York and Sheila Daniels as his frantic wife work at cross purposes after they discover that their son is conspiring against Henry Bolingbroke, the man who unseats Richard.
Seattle Shakespeare's production throws into high relief the differences in personality between Bolingbroke and Richard. Played by David Quicksall, Bolingbroke is a strong man of action who never hesitates. Richard, on the other hand, is a bit of an aesthete who can't make a decision without input from his untrustworthy advisers and who questions everything as his world crumbles.
There was some fine work from the actors. Jerry Lloyd was so transformed when he switched from playing John of Gaunt to the Earl of Northumberland that, at first, I didn't recognize him. Sheila Daniels was consistently compelling, whether her role was that of fighting man or a protective mother trying to prevent her son from literally losing his head.
A nice touch in the production was having the characters' chalked names rubbed from the walls as they are bumped off.
By operating from a stage that was bare, apart from some movable benches, and having actors enter and exit through the audience, Shine and her cast succeeded in their goal of diminishing the barriers between the audience and Shakespeare's work.
Seattle Shakespeare's "King Richard II" runs through March 17 at the Center House Theater, 305 Harrison St. in the Seattle Center. Tickets: $10-$24. Information: 325-6500, www.ticketwindowonline.com
or Ticketwindow locations.
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