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| Gemma Jones |
Tickets for the globally acclaimed production with Academy Award winners Kevin Spacey and Sam Mendes, in the title role and as the director, respectively, are now only available for the second day.
Jones is one of the ‘grandes dames’ of stage and screen, seen most recently in the Woody Allen film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.
Mendes has admired her since his childhood when she starred in the BBC television series The Duchess of Duke Street.
In the course of her illustrious career, Jones has worked with most of Britain’s leading directors, and her credits span the classic canon of leading roles in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet and The Winter’s Tale, and numerous leading roles in plays by Ibsen, Pinter and Tennessee Williams.
Referring to her role as Queen Margaret, Jones explains “that’s Margaret of Anjou who in fact appears in all the history plays and has in the past been played by the same actress through all the cycle. It must be a thrilling thing to play her from 18 to whatever age she was. But in Richard III, I play the older Margaret!”
Jones explains that there are few Shakespearean roles for mature actresses and having recently concentrated on film, she was thrilled to be asked to play the role of Queen Margaret.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to have at my age and stage, to have a lovely role to play and a lovely travelling adventure as well.”
About her role, Jones explains: “Margaret of Anjou considers herself as a prophetess and a seer and she stands up to Richard. And it’s not a huge role but it’s very challenging and demanding because she has these wonderful poetic arias and at this stage it’s quite frightening because it’s like, do I know if I can reach top C until I actually have a go? So it is a terrific part, wonderful language, and very powerful and passionate”.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.dohafilminstitute.com or from the DFI Box Office located at Building 26 within Katara Cultural Village.
