IMPACT THEATRE OF BERKELEY PUTS ON A DULY CREEPY ACT in the basement space below La Val’s Pizza in Berkeley as the company presents Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” following the bloody trail of the infamous royal’s crazed climb to power in 15th-century England.

The ailing King Edward’s marriage has come into question, so his children may have no rightful claim to the throne after his impending death — but was it Richard who sparked the rumor? The Duke of Clarence is arrested and jailed on suspicion of treason — was that also Richard’s doing? And who was it who ordered the prisoner’s hasty execution?

“Richard III” sees the duke’s family members fall like dominoes, in seemingly quick succession, until the few remaining survivors begin fleeing to Richmond for safety. Even a church sanctuary isn’t safe for a everyone in this madman’s lineage. After all, Richard argues, does an infant have the right to claim that privilege for himself?

Sean Mirkovich is well cast in the title role as Edward’s bloodthirsty youngest brother, painted by the Bard as a murderous fiend who would execute just about anyone who might stand between him and his desired ascension to the throne.

Richard’s opening monologue lays bare the treachery in his heart — “Plots, I have had,” he confesses with an evil grin — and as if that weren’t enough, the audience is further clued in to the mayhem that lies ahead by the ominous draping of a black strip of cloth atop the first of a dozen family portraits that hang in neat rows along the stage’s rear wall. That and other visual enhancements, including clever costumes (Huy Kim Tran) and thoughtful staging, help the newcomer to Shakespeare — and especially the tangled and bloody skein of English royal history — to follow the complex tale that involves so many key figures and events, all told in the Bard’s often challenging dialect.

First to fall in the play is Richard’s elder brother George, Duke of Clarence (Kelvyn Mitchell), whom Richard orders executed almost immediately after his arrest, allowing no chance for the remorseful King Edward (powerfully portrayed by Jon Nagel) to reverse his decision to arrest Clarence in the first place.

Mikaya Cochrane cuts a chilling figure as Sir Richard Ratcliff, Richard’s confidante and chief executioner. Cochrane is coolly confident, wearing an unflinchingly courteous expression even as he curtly dispenses with each of Richard’s perceived enemies in turn.

In addition to Mirkovich and Cochrane, Mary Ann Mackey stands out in the Impact production as Margaret, former Queen of England by her marriage to Henry VI. Having escaped exile to warn the current nobles of Richard’s deceitfulness, Mackey speaks with singular determination, her small frame belying her character’s hard-crusted wisdom and prophetic vision.

If the central purpose of “Richard III” is to convey the awful malevolence of England’s most infamous usurper and king, then Impact’s interpretation is a resounding success. Mirkovich reigns supreme on the stage as the cunning villain, and the other players successfully embody the sense of devastating loss, dismay and ultimate betrayal that affected those who found themselves entwined in his net.

Impact Theatre offers a uniquely enjoyable theater experience. It is an intimate setting, insulated by its location below street level and with close seating along two sides of the stage. Because it is accessible through the popular eatery, La Val’s Pizza near the Cal campus in Berkeley, the group welcomes audiences to bring refreshments inside — dinner and a show made easy.

If You Go
“Richard III” continues at Impact Theatre, located inside La Val’s Pizza at 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley, through April 5. Tickets are $15 to $25 and are available by calling 510-224-5744 or online at impacttheatre.com.

Elizabeth Warnimont is a freelance writer specializing in the performing arts. She is also a substitute teacher for the Benicia Unified School District.