Richard’s Himself Again

SCOTT COLLEY is Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Formerly an English professor at Vanderbilt University, his academic specialty remains Shakespeare and English Renaissance Drama. His numerous publications have appeared in such journals as Yearbook of English Studies, Shakespeare Quarterly, Shakespeare Studies, and Comparative Drama. He is completing an edition of Richard III for the Modern Language Association's New Variorum Shakespeare.

One of a handful of great Shakespearean roles, the part of Richard of Gloucester has maintained its importance from the beginning of its performance history in the late 1690s and has assumed an identity extending even beyond the play. The range of interpretation has been startling, with many actors also taking liberties with the text. Most of the greatest Shakespearean actors have tried the part, though some have carefully avoided it. Successful Richards have had to create an archetype of evil who nonetheless must be comprehended in vivid human terms. Among the most memorable Richards are David Garrick, William Frederick Cooke, Edmund Kean, J.B. Booth, William Charles Macready, Edwin Booth, Richard Mansfield, Robert Mantell, John Barrymore, Alec Guiness, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Ian Holm, Antony Sher, and Anton Lesser.This dynamic stage history of Richard III covers all major English and American interpretations and some foreign-language productions to the present day, setting the stage in the context of prevailing theatrical practices within each era. Focusing on the play and role as vehicles for actors and theatre practitioners, Richard's Himself Again demonstrates how theatrical issues have shaped the acting norm, which in turn has been reshaped by the individual performers. While utilizing volumes of source material including promptbooks, biographies, memoirs, and reviews, Scott Colley injects his own spirit into the narrative, achieving a lively, personable tone. The resulting book will appeal to theatregoers as well as to academic and professional specialists.

This dynamic stage history covers all major English and American interpretations of this capitivating drama from the late 1690s to the present day, exploring the significance of changing theatrical fashions and practices.

Introduction: The Habeas Corpus Problem in Writing a Stage History of Richard III;PrefacePerforming as GloucesterCibber's Richard IIIThe Enlightenment Richard: Garrick, Kemble, CookeKean and the Romantic HeroThe Gentlemen Managers: Macready, Phelps, and Charles KeanShakespeare Emigrates to America: The Booths, Forrest, Mansfield, and MantellFin de Siècle England: Irving, Sullivan, and BensonBarrymore, Jessner, and the Richards of the Roaring 1920sThe Age of OlivierRivals to Olivier's Throne: The Post-War RichardsThe Persecution and Assassination of Richard III by Inmates of the Three Stratfords"Richard's Himself Again!" The New Monarchs: Ian Holm, Ramaz Chkhikvadze, and Antony SherCoda: "Correctives to All These Performances"BibliographyIndex