Line #14 AffablyEvil/Theatre


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9	* Death of ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'', particularly during ''"Mama, wo bist du?"'', in which his actors often choose to smile warmly and proudly at Prince Rudolf. He carries out his machinations and seductions with a smooth, crooning voice that entices Sisi, Rudolf, and by extension the audience.
10	* Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe's Theatre/{{Faust}} has the antagonist, so to speak, Mephistopheles, who is cultured, polite and keeps his promises. The play even starts with Mephistopheles visiting God for a friendly, almost collegial chit-chat.
11	* OlderThanSteam: Theatre/{{Hamlet}}, speaking of his uncle Claudius who murdered his father, laments that "one may smile, and smile, and be a villain."
12	* Smee from ''Theatre/{{Peter Pan\|1904}}''. He's not a nice man--after all, he ''is'' trying to kill the Lost Boys--but he's so unintentionally pleasant and charming in his dim-witted way that everyone loves him. Captain Hook observes that Smee is happy because he thinks that the boys fear him, even though he lets Michael try on his spectacles.
13	* Harold in Lyle Kessler's play ''Theatre/{{Orphans}}'' is a very wealthy and powerful Chicago gangster. We never see his dark side, but he obviously got his wealth and power through shady business dealings, extortion, and probably murder as well. Nevertheless, Harold is the friendliest man you'll ever meet at a bar, and he later becomes a loving father figure to two young delinquents who (ineptly) attempted to kidnap him for ransom.
14	* During his dealings with Christine, the eponymous character of ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' carries this off in spades. [[AxCrazy Otherwise]]...
15	* Several characters in the Creator/GilbertAndSullivan operettas:
16	** ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'' are likable chaps who refuse to attack a weaker party or harm an orphan (they're all orphans themselves, you see). Unsurprisingly, they are [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything not very successful pirates]].
17	** The Mikado of Japan (in ''Theatre/TheMikado'') isn't a bit angry that three of the main characters killed his son (or claimed to) on accident, even though he's going to burn them in melted lead or boiling oil.
18	** Wilfred Shadbolt of ''Theatre/TheYeomenOfTheGuard'' is head jailer and assistant tormentor, but wants to be more affable by becoming a jester.
19	* Khan Konchak in ''Theatre/PrinceIgor'', a FatherToHisMen who treats his captive enemies more like honored guests, respects Prince Igor greatly and often laments that [[WeCanRuleTogether they aren’t allies]], and happily gives his daughter’s hand in marriage to Igor’s son. It’s easy to forget he is also responsible for many raids of Russian towns.
20	* Creator/BertoltBrecht's ''Theatre/ThreepennyOpera'' seems to have some level of inspiration from ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'' in its KarmaHoudini ending, and much like the quote above, a stage direction notes of Macheath's henchman at the wedding feast that rather than the stereotype of criminals as crude and covered in scars, they are all soberly dressed and look like the average person you would see on the street. They are nice chaps and make sure to bring wedding presents, although regrettably, they procured these by killing or maiming several people. Macheath himself is charming and charismatic and wins the affection of numerous women, although the Moritat ("Mack the Knife" in English) which opens the play tells of deeds such as killing a family in an act of arson and raping a child bride. The KarmaHoudini ending comes from [[OlderThanTheyThink an 18th Century work]], ''The Beggars' Opera'', which Brecht adapted to a 20th Century setting. In the original work, [[LampshadeHanging the play's narrator says outright that the protagonist deserves to hang]] but he is being spared to [[TakeThat placate all the sentimental fools in the audience]].
21	* ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'':
22	** Professor Quirrell is portrayed as being quite personable when he's not trying to kill you. His reason for wanting to TakeOverTheWorld is so that he'll have all the time he wants to plant flowers and read Jane Austen novels.
23	** To a lesser extent, Lord Voldemort. He's a genial kind of guy that's genuinely pleasant to those he considers friends, who just so happens to want to kill all Muggles.
24	-->''Quirrelllll! Man! '''Listen'''! I may be a parasite slowly sucking out your soul, but even I can see that you're too good a guy not to have a little fun once in a while!''
25	* The Wizard from ''{{Theatre/Wicked}}'' is friendly, kind, and supportive to Elphaba, presenting himself as a kind father figure who only wants to help every citizen of Oz to fly. Unless you're one of the talking animals, in which case you are to be cowed into submission, brainwashed, and/or exterminated. Elphaba is his mirror image, nasty, insulting, and condescending to others, and flies into classic villain hissy fits (in the book, she mutilates an old woman's corpse because the woman had the audacity to die before Elphaba could kill her; in the play, she responds to her friend's death by having her minions unleash a wave of off screen terror upon Oz), but has good intentions. It's no surprise that the casual observer in Oz mistakes which one is the villain.
26	* ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'': The constable is consistently polite and friendly to Tevye, even as he is enforcing anti-semitic laws put in place by his superiors.
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Context AffablyEvil / Theatre