Keane in Richard 3rd

The stencil shows a head and shoulders outline of Kean as he appeared in the role of Richard III, which appears to have been taken from the 1814 portrait of Kean, by John James Halls, (ca.1797-1854). Kean first played Richard III at the Drury Lane Theatre on 12 February 1814. It became one of his most admired roles, along with Macbeth and Iago. Kean's natural passion and fiery spirit suited a melodramatic style of acting, but he nevertheless made his name playing in Shakespeare. He was said to be at his best in death scenes, and scenes that required intensity of feeling or violent transitions from one mood to another, prompting the poet Coleridge to note that watching Kean act was like 'reading Shakespeare by flashes of lightning'.