Interview with the actors of Richard III

  ODYSSEY THEATRE Jack Stehlin stars as
Richard III in the Odyssey Theatre’s production of "Richard III.
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By Scott Schultz
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

As the evil Richard III and his trusted henchman/advisor,
Buckingham, theater stalwarts Jack Stehlin and Tony Award-nominated
actor Alfred Molina cast a foreboding shadow across the Odyssey
Theatre stage in the Circus Theatrical production.

The two actors, interviewed in Stehlin’s dressing room
prior to Thursday’s performance, explain why theater
audiences continue to embrace Richard III, even though he is
arguably Shakespeare’s most contemptible villain.

“Richard revels in the minutia of the evil itself, which
is what makes him so attractive,” said Molina, who goes by
Fred. “He tells you what he’s going to do. He tells you
how he’s going to do it, how he feels about it and why.

“He talks to the audience like they are his equals,
confidants.”

Richard, who Shakespeare described as deformed, without
specifying further, allows his deformity to fuel his tyrannical
fire, which eventually leads him to the throne of England.

The two actors explain that since Shakespeare’s writing
allows actors an interpretive freedom to process Richard’s
deformity, actors portraying Richard often internalize his
deformity or give him an emotional deformity rather than a visible
physical disfigurement.

Molina impersonates a Russian actor who previously performed the
role with the Georgian Theater company who completely internalized
the deformity, with the exception of when he laughed ““ a
hideous laugh of nightmares.

Stehlin chose a physical manifestation of his Richard’s
deformity, giving the king an exaggerated hunch and a withered left
arm.

“Ultimately, I felt (the character) needed the
deformity,” Stehlin said. “It is part of what may help
the audience to identify with his human confusion so he receives a
pitying quality. When we see someone crippled or deformed, you
immediately feel sorry for them.”

For Stehlin the most difficult element of his performance is the
conditioning required to handle the physicality of his role as
Richard. Not only is he required to act out his physical deformity,
he also spends the majority of the two-hour play on stage.

“You have to pay the price in conditioning,” said
Stehlin. “After you get over the conditioning, the difficulty
is the psychological hoping that you’re not boring
people.”

One of the performance elements Stehlin relies on to gauge
audience interest is the reaction to the play’s comedic
moments.

“Laughter is an absolute affirmation of audience
connection,” Stehlin said. “It’s the only one you
get. If they don’t laugh you don’t know. When they
laugh you go, “˜I got ’em. I got ’em
now.'”

Molina agrees with Stehlin that laughter provides an opportunity
to test the attention level of the audience. However his
interpretation of his character’s performance has a more
serious slant.

Molina’s take on Buckingham is as a medieval spin doctor.
He advises Richard and arranges his acceptance by the nobles of
England, enabling the duke of Gloucester to advance to the throne.
In return, Buckingham, Richard’s cousin, is to be given an
earldom for his loyalty.

Molina looked to historical photographs of leaders and their
advisors for inspiration when figuring out his character.

“The pictures I had in my head constantly were the
photographs you see on political campaigns where the candidate has
won and (is) receiving the crowd’s adulation, (while)
there’s always someone behind him who is not paying attention
to the crowd,” Molina said.

“They’re sending someone a message or on the
telephone or just observing,” he continued.
“They’re not completely involved in the excitement of
the moment.”

Molina describes the political advisors as people who rely on
their well-known employers to increase their social status.

Social climbing is a major issue in “Richard III,”
and Buckingham is a beneficiary of his networking skills.

“There is a strand through the play about social climbing
and ambition,” Molina said. “For Richard it is a clear
line to the throne. Buckingham is absolutely on Richard’s
coattails. He speaks very little when Richard is speaking policy,
and when he does, he is very neutral. It’s interesting that
Buckingham is the only one of Richard’s victims who
doesn’t have a moral outrage and cry for justice at the
end.”

Stehlin, who is the founder of the Circus Theatricals Studio
Ensemble, met Molina backstage during a production of
“Hamlet,” in which Stehlin was acting opposite
Molina’s wife. Molina and Stehlin clicked, and now Molina is
an associate artist.

They are an ensemble in residence at the Odyssey Theatre in west
Los Angeles.

Both teach classes in Shakespeare and scene study, and they hope
their ensemble someday can emulate the legendary Moscow Arts
Theater.

Although Molina loves to teach Shakespeare, he believes that the
academics are guilty of looking too hard at the semantics instead
of focusing on the drama.

“People are devoting their whole careers to the use of the
word “˜why’ in Shakespeare,” Molina said.
“I’ve worked with actors who walk up to me and they say
things like “˜You know it’s really interesting that
Shakespeare uses the word “˜time’ 45 times in 12 plays,
and the word “˜time’ begins the sentence. You can use
that.’

“It is interesting, but you can’t turn to an actor
who is struggling with a role and tell him these things. You want
to say, “˜so fucking what!'” Molina added.

Stehlin believes that Shakespeare should be seen by all aspiring
theater and English majors, and that the Elizabethan language
should not be used as an obstacle.

“When you read it, read it aloud,” Stehlin said.
“Don’t be afraid of the language. It doesn’t take
a genius to pick up the dictionary.”

THEATER: “Richard III” is playing
Wed.-Sun. now through April 7. Students get discounts on Wednesdays
and Thursdays with a $10 admission price and a valid ID.
Reservations are recommended.