‘Richard III’ opens Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival

REGAL BEARING— Actresses Anne Lockhart, left, and Julia Duffy, of TV show “Newhart” fame, share a scene during a performance of “Richard III” at the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival under the stars at CLU last Friday evening. “The Merry Wives of Windsor” will be performed later this month. Pre-show entertainment and picnicking begins at 5:30 p.m. Shows start at 8 p.m.

Director Jeffrey Combs takes “Richard III,” often described as Shakespeare’s “nasty comedy,” into 19th-century London. The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company’s production stars veteran actor Lane Davies as the dastardly Richard, who creates a bloody path on his way to the crown.

Combs, who has starred in more than 40 films, is best known for his portrayal of Herbert West in the cult classic “Re-Animator.” Most of his film credits are in the science fiction/horror genre so he is well-practiced in the art of creating a mischievous melodrama. A former “Star Trek” character and current “4400” cast regular, Combs says he believes “Richard III” fits perfectly into the world of London in the late 1800s.”

He transports tragic Richard with all of his black-hearted ambitions into the time of Sherlock Holmes and Frankenstein, with the feel of the “old cloak-and-dagger thrillers and wicked monster movies.”

Performances of “Richard III” will be tonight, July 8, and July 9, 10, 22, 23 and 24. Co-produced by the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company and California Lutheran University, this year’s festival also includes performances of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” on July 15, 16, 17, 29, 30, 31 and Aug. 5, 6 and 7.

Grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking and pre-show entertainment, with musicians, dancing, juggling and sword-fighting demonstrations prior to the 8 p.m. curtain call. California Lutheran University is at 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks.