★★★★½ Coming to Aussie cinemas, Vanessa Redgrave helps Ralph Fiennes disinter “The King in the Car Park”.

Almeida Theatre, London
August 1, 2016

Richard III is one of the best known of Shakespeare’s history plays: well there’s nothing like a ruthless killer to keep the ratings high. But Shakespeare probably did not view its writing as a pot boiling exercise, one misplaced phrase and the spilt gore could easily have been his own, so crucial was it that the story told preserved the Tudor narrative of events. The play’s ultimately victorious character, Henry Tudor, was Queen Elizabeth I’s grandfather, too short a lineage to permit any doubt about the story’s veracity and the Tudor claim to the throne of England.

It is believed that Shakespeare actually wrote Richard III as a star vehicle for his friend, the actor Richard Burbage, and the role has attracted star actors ever since. The star in this instance is Ralph Fiennes whose work is celebrated worldwide,mainly thanks to his extensive catalogue of film roles. Most familiar to Australians is perhaps Oscar and Lucinda with Cate Blanchet, and his role in the Oscar winning The English Patient.

In addition to its star, this production is built...