'Richard III' at Circle Players

King Richard III is the most memorable villain created by William Shakespeare. Or is he?

In a bold new adaptation of "Richard III" opening this month at Circle Players, the story unfolds of an unlikely king, battling his conscience while he schemes, murders, and seduces his way to the throne.

Performances will take place at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 23-Oct. 9. Performances are Sept. 23 and 24, and Oct. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9.  A special talkback will be held following the Oct. 2 performance.

The play is directed by Jessica Damrow Sherman of Summit , and produced by Ed Faver of Roselle.  The stage manager for this production is Jennifer Robinson of Branchburg.

Appearing in the cast are
Nils Swanson of North Brunswick as Richard III,
Tess Ammerman of Montclair as Anne,
J.D. Robinson of Branchburg as Clarence, Ratcliff and Brakenbury,
Alicia Harabin of Somerville as Elizabeth,
Steven Mennella of Dunellen as Rivers and the Lord Mayor,
Heidi Carter Hart of Maplewood as Margaret,
David Learn of New Brunswick as Catesby,
Erik Hall of Piscataway as Edward and Richmond,
Donne Petito of Hopewell as Cecily,
Ed Faver of Roselle as Hastings, Ely and Tyrell,
John P. Dowgin of Spotswood as Buckingham,
Ruth Learn of New Brunswick as Young Richard, and
Jacob Hall of Piscataway as Young Edward.

Audience members are invited to join the cast in a wine-and-cheese reception in the theater lobby following the opening night performance.

Circle Players is located at 416 Victoria Ave., Piscataway. Due to the unique layout of this theater-in-the-round, latecomers cannot be seated after the performance has started. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the show opens.

For reservations, call (732) 968-7555, or buy tickets online at  www.circleplayers.org. Tickets cost $18 for adults and $17 for students and seniors. Credit cards may not be used at the box office, but will be accepted online.