01 Apr NEWS: Richard Rocks Annouced – A New Swedish Rock Opera Based on the Life of Richard III

Viper Island Production in collaboration with From Sweden Productions have announced the World Premiere of a major new rock opera, based on the life of England’s Richard III.

With its premiere in October 2015, RichardRocks comes in the same year that King Richard III was finally laid to rest in Leicester Cathedral, 530 years after he died in the final War of the Roses, the Battle of Bosworth. England’s last Plantagenet king will be brought vividly back to life in a production featuring cutting edge lighting, sound design, video and computer animation.

With 35 original songs and a cast of 28, RichardRocks has been inspired by both Shakespeare’s Richard III and by Al Pacino’s 1996 film, Looking for Richard. It has music by Peter Robsahm, book and lyrics by Maria Robsahm, and is directed by Staffan Aspegren.

“Don’t expect this Richard to be a hunchback with a bad haircut,” warns writer Maria Robsahm. “Our Richard is a manipulative Machiavellian prince – a modern psychopath. Externally he is charismatic, handsome and witty. It’s inside – morally and psychologically – that he’s distorted. He knows how to get what he wants, whatever the cost. He sees the people around him either as a means to an end or as obstacles to be removed.”

Composer Peter Robsahm added: “The story of Richard III has often been reduced to a one-man-show portraying evil. And no doubt the question of evil is very interesting. But how does it feel to be a boy of 13 suddenly becoming king? And how does it feel to be a mother and realise your son has done horrible things? I was also interested in the people around Richard. RichardRocks is something out of the ordinary – both artistically and technologically. The show’s music combines heavy rock with beautiful harmonies of a more classical cut. The flavours in my music range from German metal band Rammstein, Deep Purple, the Kinks and Eminem to Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Elgar.”

Swedish musical theatre star Fred Johanson will play Richard III. The rest of the roles will be cast in London.

For tickets and information: richardrocks.com
Venue: Great Hall of The People’s Palace
Dates: From 3rd October 2015 for five weeks