The theater world is full of Richard IIIs quipping, posturing, lying and murdering their way through thickets of bodies to the English crown. The role is catnip to actors because it's juicy and bigger than life, and the bloody monsters of twentieth-century history — Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Augusto Pinochet — have lent such resonance to the idea of absolute evil. Perhaps the quintessential Richard III was created by Laurence Olivier for the 1950s film: glossy and seductive, absolutely certain of his power, peering sideways at the camera, lewd and almost winking as he takes the audience into his confidence and persuades them to accompany him on his... More >>>