Richard Stemp

RICHARD STEMP

Reviews

This is just a selection of reviews. More can be found via the Theatre page

The Importance of Being Earnest (2013)

Richard Stemp played Lane/Merriman with nothing short of genius timing and mannerisms... This production is not to be missed.
— 6 Towns Radio, 5 April 2013

The standout performance was from Richard Stemp, who played both butlers – Lane in town and Merriman in the country. The stage was set with very few props but what added to the subtlety of the butler’s dual roles was how he effortlessly manoeuvred the chairs and tea trays around the stage. He successfully facilitated, rather than intruded, on each scene and the minimalistic staging worked well, leaving the emphasis on the dialogue.
— Danielle Bourne, The Sentinel, Staffs, 8 April 2013

…the show is all but stolen by Richard Stemp as Merriman, the increasingly perturbed looking butler…
— Neil Cooper, The Herald Scotland, 23 May 2013

I must praise a wonderful Richard Stemp who played Lane & Merriman, he had fabulous timing and was very understated, it can be a hard task to be in a scene when all the action is going on around you, he was totally in that moment, and who knew a tea trolley could be so funny!
— Erica Ann Deakin, Severn Magazine, 12 June 2013

The Caretaker (2010)

Richard Stemp was impressive as the kindly but vulnerable Aston, bringing a staccato, blunted edge to the role that is undoubtedly the most complex in the play. Of course, we don't believe he'll ever get round to building the shed he talks of, but Stemp's sympathetic portrayal meant his self-deception became something to pity rather than hold in contempt.
— Robert Gibson, Hexham Courant

Stemp, playing the gentle, mentally-challenged Aston, gives his character a quiet dignity... [he] talks and walks with a stiffness that turns to steel at the end.
— Rachel Andrews, Sunday Business Post

Aston, played to hair-raising perfection by Richard Stemp.
— Roddy Phillips, Aberdeen Press & Journal

Stemp, in a low-key, understated performance is convincing as the wistful, gentle but ineffective Aston. He flares up but once and it's a memorable moment.
— Hugh Homan, The Stage

Around the World (2007)

..the drama is kept aloft by surreal twists and some magnificent, scene-stealing cameos. With no prop besides a script folder, held in the manner of a fan, Richard Stemp gives us an unforgettably demure Madam Liang, while his impersonation of an electric telegraph is insane but perfect.
— Clive Davis, The Times, 14 June 2007

Michael Roberts, Richard Stemp and Peter Kenworthy play the rest of the roles, male and female, to splendidly amusing effect.
— Ray Bennett, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 June 2007

Old Times (2006)

Richard Stemp and Julie Hales' chemistry was tangible and put the audience on the edge of their seat. An old hand with Pinter, Stemp's timing was impeccable and had the audience in stitches.
— Lucy Sutcliffe, This is Lancashire

Julie Hale and Richard Stemp are excellent as the husband and friend, catching the menace of the piece and never overdoing Pinter's pauses.
— Peter Lewis, Hexham Courant

Jackie Drew is hypnotically laconic as Kate, whose early-life potential has evaporated in marriage. Her husband, domineering, self-deluding and emotionally vulnerable, is portrayed with meticulous power by Richard Stemp.
— Arthur Duncan, Somerset County Gazette

The Caretaker (2004)

Richard Stemp... the excellent, damaged, Aston.
— Philip Horton, Bath Chronicle

Richard Stemp... has us wondering what might lie behind Aston's plodding and dim exterior, and peels away the layers to an unexpected climax... Uncanny, unrelenting, and grimly humorous, The Caretaker is captivating stuff.
— Emma Slawinski - Edinburghguide.com

The Game of Love and Chance (2001)

But it was Richard Stemp who stole the show as the foppish Mario, bringing home the laughs just by sucking in his cheeks.
— Go Magazine, June 24, 2001

Unsex Me Here! (2000)

Richard Stemp stole our sympathies as Ben, the failed actor turned children's performer. His bitter disappointment with life was gently touching and his savage desire for a final burst of fame both chilling and believable.
— Brighton Argus, May 17, 2000

Cloud Nine (1998)

Richard Stemp, whose sterling caricature of Clive enlivens the first half, steals the limelight as the outsized little daughter of Lin, Victoria's lesbian lover.
— Time Out, April 8-15, 1998

Tony Godden and Richard Stemp shine particularly brightly... the latter turns in three utterly contrasting performances as a stiff-upper-lip English colonial, the foul-mouthed ghost of a boy soldier killed in Northern Ireland and, most memorably, a fussy little girl. Given the physical size of this strapping young actor, who towers over his stage mother, the last is a particularly impressive achievement.
— What's On, April 8, 1998

Julius Caesar (1997)

The place is Caesar's seedy night club, with fine performances from Andy Hawthorne as the doomed emperor, Richard Burnip as Mark Antony and Richard Stemp's showing stealing interpretation as Cassius.
— Barking and Dagenham Post, August 27, 1997

Excellent performances are given by the cast but the cold calculating Cassius played by Richard Stemp, Andy Hawthorne's Caesar and Richard Burnip's Mark Antony have the edge overall.
— Showtime, August 28, 1997

A Busy Day (1993 & 1994)

But it is the playing, particularly among the younger cast members, that is a sheer joy. Richard Stemp and Ian Kelly contrast splendidly as the two brothers, one charmingly priggish and the other extravagantly conniving, in pursuit of Wendy Hewitt's demure rich heiress...
— The Stage, November 11, 1993

There is a sparkle throughout the entire cast... outstanding among whom are Wendy Hewitt, Richard Stemp and Ian Kelly.
— The Stage, July 28, 1994