NAVY PIER — Chicago Shakespeare Theater serves up a signature cocktail for each of its shows, and star Katy Sullivan knows what she’d put on the menu for the theater’s passionate new production of “Richard III”: a shot of bourbon or a Bloody Mary.
Directed by Edward Hall, the production opens this week at the Courtyard Theater at 800 E. Grand Ave., aiming to breathe new life into Shakespeare’s tale of the infamous “bunch-backed” king and his bloody misdeeds. And much of that freshness comes from Sullivan herself, a bilateral above-knee amputee and the first woman with a disability to take on the title role in a major U.S. production.
“I think historically when able-bodied people play this role, a large part of the discussion and rehearsal process is finding that physicality [of Richard’s disability],” Sullivan told Block Club. “And we don’t have to do any of that.”
Though Richard’s exact disability is unspecified in the play, he’s often portrayed with a hunchback, limp or disabled hand. Sullivan, however, was keen to offer a different take on Richard’s physicality. “This man was a warrior. He was an incredible soldier. Very effective in battle. He killed a king, for Christ’s sake!”
So while the cunning Richard may sometimes “play up the theatricality” of his disability to “look pitiful” or “gain sympathy,” Sullivan said her portrayal is ultimately anchored in a place of power. “I want him to feel strong. I want him to feel dangerous. Not this sort of pitiful, hunched over, whatever it is that people have done with this character in the past. I’m like, ‘This guy was a badass. I would like for him to be a badass.’”
Hence the bourbon.
Sullivan credits her “incredible working relationship” with her director for creating a collaborative rehearsal space where she can truly bring her own perspective to the material. She and Hall previously worked together on a 2019 London production of “Cost of Living,” a play that paved new ground for disability representation on Broadway and earned Sullivan a Tony nomination.
“He told me later that it was week two of rehearsal for ‘Cost of Living’ that he was like, ‘She’s gonna play Richard III at some point,’” Sullivan said. That opportunity came about when Hall was announced as Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s new artistic director last summer.
Best known to Chicagoans for directing his acclaimed “Rose Rage” trilogy at Chicago Shakespeare back in 2004, Hall’s take on “Richard III” utilizes a stripped-down industrial set and costume design that suggests a Victorian sanitarium, complete with an ensemble of “hospital orderlies” who seldom leave the stage and keep the show’s energy high throughout the evening.
During rehearsals, the cast has been busy learning songs in four-part harmony, while stage management maintains an elaborate “murder tracking” spreadsheet of who kills who in this bloody tale of power, greed and ambition.
One of those doomed characters is played by Sullivan’s real-life husband, acclaimed Chicago actor Scott Aiello. “It’s really fun to have your husband murdered eight times a week,” Sullivan joked. “We’re calling it couples therapy.”
Though Sullivan has a buoyant excitement when discussing the show, it’s also clear that taking on one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters is quite a daunting task. “Numbers-wise, Richard is in the top three of most lines in all of Shakespeare,” Sullivan noted, calling the work akin to “learning a play in another language.”
Thankfully, Sullivan has experience performing under pressure, not just in her extensive theater and TV work, but also as an athlete and Paralympian who set an American record in ambulatory track at the 2012 London Games. Looking back on what she lovingly dubs a “random chapter” of her life, Sullivan credits her athletic career with changing her relationship to her body.
“Before I started running, I used to wear cosmetic covers over my prosthetic legs. I literally didn’t own a pair of shorts. I wore pants or long skirts all the time,” Sullivan explained. “And putting running legs on was basically like, okay if this is something that you actually want to do, there’s no hiding behind carbon fiber running feet. They don’t look anything like anatomical body parts. And I had to find a deeper sense of self-acceptance of my body. It gave me this appreciation of what my body is capable of.”
Sullivan said she’s been surprised by the number of people who are shocked by the idea of a woman playing Richard III — a convention that’s becoming increasingly common in theater. (“Black Panther” star Danai Gurira played the role at New York’s Delacorte Theater in 2022.) “Historically in Shakespeare’s time all of the female parts were played by men because women were not allowed to be actors,” Sullivan explained. “So I don’t feel like we are doing anything different than they did in Shakespeare’s time.”
But Sullivan said she hopes the play can resonate with Shakespeare fans and newcomers alike.
“I think [people] might hear ‘Oh, it’s Shakespeare’ and either be intimidated by that or feel like it’s not for them. But to me it’s a study of human nature and the idea of greed and wanting power, which I think you don’t have to look far in our modern society to see [examples of]. … Because Ed [Hall] really is forcing us to take a very hard look at the brutality of the human condition. And juxtaposing that right next to something beautiful.”
“Richard III” runs Friday through March 3 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave. Tickets start at $38, with discounts available for audience members under the age of 35. Tickets are currently available online or by phone (312.595.5600) at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater Box Office.
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