Richard II: a play for today
For decades, Shakespeare's Richard II was regarded as a piece of conservative camp. But on the eve of a major new production, its tale of heads of state falling from power seems startlingly relevant for 2011Why ever would a studio theatre as chic, political and up-to-the-minute as the Donmar, and for that matter a director such as Michael Grandage, want to stage Shakespeare's Richard II, which opens there on 1 Decemb…