Give him a horse, dang it!

Richard III is the story of one of England’s most scheming despots—during the Wars of the Roses, kings often killed relatives, but this guy murdered children—and Brian Harrower doesn’t disappoint. His Richard is conniving and amoral, but he’s also sly and funny. It’s a demanding role; Harrower literally carries the play on the deformed back of the title character, and he does it well, more proof that’s he’s the go-to guy for “men behaving badly” roles. He’s joined in standout performances by Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly as Buckingham and Mariana Seda doing double duty as Lady Anne and as the slimy Sir Catesby. Doing triple duty is Justin Muñoz, who is outstanding as a rotten killer, very good as the dying Edward IV, and so-so as Richmond. Overall, this is a very good adaptation of a big play to a small stage; it does run a long three hours, though, which nearly begs for just a bit more trimming down.

Richard III, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays. $12-$15. Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Boulevard; (916) 960-3036; www.bigideatheatre.com. Through May 8.