Shakespeare's Richard III dramatizes the rise and fall of one of the most sinister figures in English history: the hunchbacked mass murderer king. In a society wracked by the generations-long Wars of the Roses, the nearly conscience-less villain gleefully plays upon the fear and guilt of all the players, in a drama of the interplay between the political and the personal. Finally, enough mutual hate focuses on Richard to clear away the characters' vendettas and restore quiet to the realm. A gaping maw in the center of the stage dominates much of the action: a pit from which Richard arises, victims tumble, and ghosts appear, as all the characters spiral closer and closer to destruction. With fear in every heart and blood on every hand, how can England break free from a mindset of relentless ambition? A modern look at an old story, this history will come alive as the 39th annual performance of Baker Shakespeare Theater sends shivers down every spine in the audience.